Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Regional Planning and Development: Angus

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding Angus constituency has received from (a) all funding schemes put in place to replace EU structural funding, (b) the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, (c) the Levelling-Up Fund and (d) the Long-Term Plan for Towns in each year since 2016.

Jacob Young: There is no single fund that directly replaces EU structural funding. Levelling up funding comprises various measures that include, for example, the Levelling Up Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Long Term Plan for Towns, the Community Renewal Fund, the Community Ownership Fund, and pre-existing programmes such as the City Region and Growth Deals. These come alongside the largest block grant ever for the devolved administration in Scotland which the Chancellor recently confirmed, and other measures such as the Green Freeports and Investment Zones Programme which cover four areas across Scotland.In general, details of funding support are held at local authority rather than constituency level. The UK remained a member of the European Union until January 2020.Since then, Angus Council has been awarded nearly £5 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, as well as £26.5 million from the Tay Cities Deal. It has also received nearly £300k from the Community Ownership Fund awarded to a project in Brechin for Davidson Legacy Cottage SCIO, and over £230k awarded via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme including to replace the 3G pitch at Forfar Community Football Trust, for floodlights at Station Park and Market Muir, and for solar panels at Arbroath Football Club. At Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced that Arbroath in Angus will be a Long-Term Plan for Towns location and will receive £20 million of funding.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Domestic Visits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within his Department have taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

Simon Hoare: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (vias, accommodation, meals).But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Simon Hoare: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud and error in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report. This report focuses on the public sector fraud landscape in central government, and the levels of fraud and error loss outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.Incidences of fraud and error are reported to the PSFA for inclusion in the Fraud Landscape Report and published in the department’s annual account at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64b93176ef5371000d7aef8d/DLUHC_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2022-23.pdf.

Housing: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of residential properties constructed in Hendon constituency in the last 14 years.

Lee Rowley: The department’s most comprehensive measure of housing supply is our annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’. This includes estimates of new homes added in each local authority, but does not show figures at the constituency level.You can find data for the London Borough of Barnet here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing.

Housing: Disability

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many new M4(2) homes have been built in England outside London in the last year.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many wheelchair-accessible homes have been built in England outside London in the last year.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 15081 on 26 February 2024.

Sleeping Rough: Abuse and Crimes of Violence

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to prevent violence and abuse targeted at people experiencing rough sleeping.

Felicity Buchan: The streets can never be a place of safety for people sleeping rough and accommodation provides the safety and security needed for individuals to engage positively with support services. That is why the Government published the strategy Ending rough sleeping for good in September 2022 and is investing almost £2.4 billion from 2022 to 2025 to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.

Homelessness

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent homelessness upon discharge from a public institution.

Felicity Buchan: In September 2022, we published our cross-government strategy ‘Ending Rough Sleeping for Good’ setting out how we are investing almost £2.4 billion over three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This sets out a ‘prevention first approach’, including bringing forward investment so that nobody leaves a public institution for the streets, whether that is a hospital, prison, care or the asylum system.Homelessness and hospital discharge guidance was jointly published by DHSC and DLUHC on 26 January 2024 for staff in care transfer hubs and others involved in planning discharge of patients (including NHS, local authority, housing and other partners). The guidance is available here: Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Criminal Justice Bill: Homelessness

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) organisations working with people experiencing homelessness on the Criminal Justice Bill.

Felicity Buchan: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Buildings: Insurance

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the insurance industry on premiums for buildings affected by fire and building safety issues.

Lee Rowley: The Government continues to work with the insurance industry to press for fair and proportionate premiums for leaseholders living in buildings with fire safety issues.The Government expects the industry to launch their risk sharing scheme as a matter of urgency, and departmental officials and I continue to correspond and meet the Association of British Insurers and industry to make this clear.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Disabled Facilities Grants were distributed to private rented sector tenants last year.

Felicity Buchan: Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely. Government funding for Disabled Facilities Grant has more than doubled, rising from £220 million in 2015-16 to £623 million for 2023-24.The Department does not hold the requested data for 2023.

Refugees: Greater Manchester

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with local councils in Greater Manchester on the potential availability of housing for refugees who have reached the end of their move-on period.

Felicity Buchan: Ministers have discussions with local councils on a range of issues.

Homelessness: Darlington

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support efforts to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness in Darlington constituency.

Felicity Buchan: The Government is investing nearly £2.4 billion across three years to enable local areas to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in England.This includes over £3.8 million allocated to the North-East, including Darlington, from the Rough Sleeping Initiative over the three-year period 2022-2025, and over £600,000 from the Homelessness Prevention Grant between 2023 and 2025.

Bolton Interfaith Council

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to support the Bolton Interfaith Forum.

Lee Rowley: The Government is supportive of efforts by faith groups and others to bring together people of different faiths and beliefs.

Housing: Skilled Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of skills levels in the house building (a) sector and (b) supply chain on long term house building targets.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 16166 on 5 March 2024.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to ensure that EWS1 certificates are only issued by qualified (a) chartered or (b) incorporated engineers.

Lee Rowley: The External Wall System Review form (EWS1) is not a statutory requirement or Government process and we have agreed with the industry that this should be minimised.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have issued guidance on its use and application, including on the relevant expertise and qualification of the signatories of EWS1 forms. RICS are clear that anyone instructing an EWS1 must be satisfied that the signatory meets the requirements in their guidance.

Green Belt: Planning Permission

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 61 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, whether it his policy that a local authority area being located wholly within the green belt should represent an exceptional circumstance to justify an alternative approach to using the standard method calculation when assessing housing need for the purposes of making a local plan.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 145 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, whether it his policy that the threshold for an exceptional circumstance would be met by a local authority area seeking to alter green belt boundaries for the purposes of making a local plan in circumstances where housing need as calculated by the standard method cannot be met having exhausted all development opportunities (a) not in the green belt and (b) in existing brownfield sites within the existing green belt boundaries.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement entitled The Next Stage in Our Long Term Plan for Housing Update, HCWS161, published on 19 December 2023, and paragraph 145 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, whether local authorities are required to include green belt sites in their local plan to meet housing needs targets as calculated by the Standard Method.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of omitting from that paragraph the words 'as a minimum'.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, for what reason his Department omitted from that paragraph the words, so far as possible, taking into account the policies of in this Framework.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, for what reason the words 'and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development' were not removed from that Framework.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, for what reason the words 'Green Belt boundaries are not required to be reviewed and altered if this would be the only means of meeting the objectively assessed need for housing over the plan period' were omitted from that Framework.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.

Members: Correspondence

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the Government plans to respond to the letter of 29 November 2023 from the Hon. Member for Brent Central to the Prime Minister on Islamophobia.

Lee Rowley: A response to the Hon Member’s letter was issued by my Hon Friend Baroness Penn on 1 March 2024.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) Birmingham City Council and (b) other Local Authorities designate an adequate number of authorised Gypsy and Traveller Sites.

Lee Rowley: Responsibility for the assessment of and provision for traveller sites is with local authorities.

Department of Health and Social Care

Royal Bournemouth Hospital: Finance

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much investment has been made to improve Bournemouth hospital in the last 10 years.

Andrew Stephenson: The information requested is not held centrally. University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bournemouth Hospital, receives funding from national programmes and operational capital. From our national programmes, the trust received the following amounts since 2020:£12.9 million from the community diagnostic centres’ Diagnostics fund for development of a community diagnostic centre, providing vital testing to local residents closer to home for the 2021/22 to 2023/24 period;£102,000 from our Mental Health Crisis Fund to improve mental health urgent and emergency care facilities in 2022/23;Over £9 million from our Elective Recovery Targeted Investment Fund in 2021/22 for estate works and digital initiatives;£4.3 million in 2020/21 from our £450 million accident and emergency upgrades programme;£2.8 million in 2020/21 as part of our £600 million Critical Infrastructure Risk funding to address backlog maintenance across its estate; andOver £28 million from the New Hospital programme, for up to 2022/23, in scheme development funding for both their hospital schemes, which includes early works to prepare the sites ahead of main construction commencing.The trust has also been allocated £147.3 million of NHS Upgrades Programme funding for the reconfiguration of the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital, to a major planned site and major emergency site, with the project currently underway and construction ongoing.In addition to the above funding, the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), of which the trust is a partner member, has been allocated £61 million in operational capital funding in 2023/24, totalling over £200 million during this spending review period, 2022/23 to 2024/25. This amount is prioritised by the ICB according to local needs.

Dentistry

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists were registered with the General Dental Council in each financial year since 2010-11; and of those registered dentists how many and what proportion provided some NHS care.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medicine supply issue notifications her Department has received in each month since 2017.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dentistry

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) dental nurses, (b) dental hygienists, (c) dental technicians, (d) dental therapists, (e) orthodontic therapists and (f) clinical dental technicians were employed in each financial year since 2010-11.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Domestic Accidents

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of hospital admissions for falls in each region in England; (a) South West, (b) London, (c) South East, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) West Midlands, (g) Yorkshire and the Humber, (h) East Midlands and (i) East of England.

Helen Whately: The data is not published in the format requested.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Heart Diseases

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the average time taken between a 999 call for help and first hospital treatment for patients suffering a severe heart attack in each financial year since 2010-11.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.

Care Homes: LGBT+ People

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the prevalence of discrimination against LGBTQ+ (a) residents and (b) staff in care homes.

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring inspections by the Care Quality Commission to take into account the experience of LGBTQ+ residents in care homes.

Helen Whately: Any discrimination in adult social care on the basis of one’s sexual or gender identity, or indeed on the basis of any protected characteristic, is unacceptable. The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace, and in wider society.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects and assesses care homes and other social care providers for compliance against the fundamental standards embedded in regulation. This includes the requirement, as clearly described in the CQC’s guidance, for providers to do everything reasonably practicable to make sure that people who use the service receive person-centred care, that meets their needs and reflects their personal preferences. As part of this, during an inspection, the CQC will take account of how the service considers a person’s protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.The CQC has also published its Equality Objectives, which outline how the CQC is taking a preventative approach to LGBTQ+ people experiencing prejudice or abuse, as well as improving the data it collects around equality risks. Finally, the new duty on the CQC to assess local authorities’ delivery of their adult social care duties went live from April this year. CQC assessment of local authorities will increase transparency, and enable people to hold their local authority to account.

Hypnosis and Psychiatry: Registration and Regulation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that any person operating as a (a) hypnotherapist and (b) psychotherapist is (i) registered and (ii) regulated.

Maria Caulfield: Hypnotherapists and psychotherapists are not statutorily regulated. The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care operates a voluntary registry programme, and provides a proportionate means of assurance for unregulated professions which sit between employer controls and statutory regulation, by setting standards for organisations holding voluntary registration for unregulated health and social care occupations.There are currently two accredited registers related to hypnotherapy, and 12 accredited registers related to psychotherapy. The Government regularly reviews which professions are subject to statutory regulation, and in 2022 published the consultation, Healthcare regulation: deciding when statutory regulation is appropriate. This consultation sought views on the criteria used to decide when regulation is necessary, and whether there are any unregulated professions that should be brought into statutory regulation. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

Rheumatology: Consultants

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often the number of specialty training places for rheumatology consultants is reviewed.

Andrew Stephenson: The number of advertised specialty training places in England is set and reviewed by NHS England, on an annual basis. This includes how many posts are available for each specialty. NHS England are due to complete the planned increase in medical specialty training places by September 2024, to more than 2,000 places over three years. This expansion is both supporting existing planned growth for mental health, cancer, and diagnostic services, as well as elective recovery, urgent and acute care, maternity services, and public health medicine.In addition, as part of the historic expansion of medical school places set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we will also ensure there is adequate growth in foundation placement capacity, as those taking up these new places begin to graduate, and a commensurate increase in specialty training places. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure this growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.

Rheumatology: Vacancies

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of FTE (a) fully qualified grade 1 adult rheumatology consultants and (b) fully qualified grade 1 paediatric rheumatology consultant vacancies and shortages in England.

Andrew Stephenson: No specific estimate has been made of adult or paediatric consultant rheumatologist vacancies.

Long Covid

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support people who have long covid.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England has invested £314 million to expand National Health Service long COVID treatment and rehabilitation services, establishing 100 long COVID services for adults, and 13 specialist paediatric hubs for children and young people. These assess people with long COVID and direct them into appropriate care pathways, which provide appropriate support and treatment. Commissioning of post-COVID-19 services will transition from the long COVID national programme to integrated care boards by the end of March 2024. Funding for long COVID services in 2024/25 is expected to be allocated based on the current, 2023/24 distribution.The Government has invested over £50 million into long COVID research. The projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, and to evaluate clinical care.

Mental Health Services: Digital Technology

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that mental health training programs equip future clinicians with the necessary digital literacy skills to support the integration of technology into mental health care.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Digital Academy has a responsibility to support the National Health Service workforce to develop the necessary digital skills for work. The NHS Digital Academy is responsible for a strategy that will help NHS employers to support and upskill these staff through self-assessment, and both online and more traditional face-to-face learning opportunities. 16,000 people in the NHS workforce have undertaken self-assessment tools, as part of its testing stage. Some clinical education programmes already include digital skills development, and NHS England is exploring how digital capabilities can be more comprehensively developed through existing clinical education programmes, including in mental health.

Darlington Memorial Hospital: Parking

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will provide financial support to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to facilitate an improvement and expansion of car parking facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Andrew Stephenson: No specific fund currently exists for car parking improvements. The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), of which County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is a partner member, received £187 million in operational capital in 2023/24, and over £566 million over the Spending Review period, which it can use for capital projects and works. This funding is prioritised by the ICB in accordance with local needs.

Older People: Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken recent steps to commission research into (a) reducing ill health and (b) retaining (i) physical function and (ii) mental capacity by older people.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR’s Healthy Ageing Policy Research Unit, which started in January 2024, undertakes research related to the health and wellbeing of older adults. This includes ongoing research to examine effective interventions that prevent or postpone the development of physical or mental disability related to long-term conditions.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) Anaesthesia Associates and (b) Physician Associates to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Andrew Stephenson: The assessment of the appropriate regulatory body for Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs) regulation was completed in 2019. On 7 February 2019, the Government published its response to the consultation, Regulation of Medical Associate Professions in the UK. This response confirmed its decision to introduce statutory regulation for AAs and PAs, and set out that the majority of consultation respondents were in favour of the General Medical Council (GMC) taking on regulation of these roles. Following further work by the Department, on 18 July 2019, the Government announced that it would be asking the GMC to regulate both roles. No further assessments have been made of the potential merits of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulating AAs and PAs, and there have been no recent discussions with the HCPC on this matter. The Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order has now been approved by Parliament following debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords. The legislation enables the GMC to commence regulation for the two roles at the end of 2024.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on the final delivery plan for ME/CFS.

Andrew Stephenson: We have been consulting on My Full Reality, the cross-government interim delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which seeks to improve the experiences and outcomes of people living with this condition.We are analysing the results of the consultation, and the views and experiences gathered through this consultation will be used to build a picture of how well the interim delivery plan identifies and meets the needs of the ME and CFS community, and to highlight any significant gaps where further action may be necessary. We will publish a summary of the consultation responses, which will inform the final delivery plan, in due course.

Epilepsy: Cannabis

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take in the next year to help ensure that children with severe epilepsy can access effective cannabis-based medications through the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: The licensed cannabis-based medicine epidyolex is prescribed routinely for three forms of epilepsy, for patients aged two years old and above. However, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines.We continue to call on the manufacturers of these products to conduct research, and we are working with regulatory, research, and National Health Service partners to establish clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of these products, to enable evidence based prescribing decisions.

NHS: Older Workers

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the (a) physical and (b) mental ability of NHS staff to work beyond the state pension age.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the (a) physical and (b) mental ability of NHS staff to work beyond the state pension age.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on (a) physical and (b) mental wellbeing of the NHS workforce working beyond the age of the current state pension age.

Andrew Stephenson: No recent assessment has been made. National Health Service staff are not expected to work beyond state pension age, though some choose to do so. The NHS Pension Scheme is generous, and provides good pensions for retirement. The scheme offers a partial retirement option, which allows staff to draw down part of their pension and continue working in a more flexible way.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to going beyond statutory requirements in supporting and promoting flexible working opportunities. NHS England have produced guidance for employers on supporting their older workforce, together with a wide-ranging package of support for NHS staff. This includes tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their well-being, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.

Animal Experiments

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has commissioned independent research to make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of using (a) dogs as a second species and (b) new non-animal scientific approaches in toxicological testing.

Andrew Stephenson: The use of dogs as a second species in toxicological testing remains an important step in the development of safe new medicines, treatments, technologies, and other chemicals. The use of animals in science is highly regulated, and includes a three-tier system of licensing which licenses each establishment, project, and individual involved in performing regulated procedures involving animals.Currently, there is no independent research commissioned by the Government, that makes a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of using dogs as a second species and new non-animal scientific approaches in toxicological testing. Instead, the Government’s current approach is to actively support and accelerate advances in biomedical science and technologies to reduce reliance on the use of animals in research and importantly, to avoid some of the scientific limitations of animal models of human diseases. This includes stem cell research, the development of cell culture systems that mimic the function of human organs, imaging, and new computer modelling techniques.UK Research and Innovation remains strongly committed to supporting the development of techniques that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), and provides core funding for the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). The NC3Rs works nationally and internationally to drive the uptake of 3Rs technologies and ensure that advances in the 3Rs are reflected in policy, practice, and regulations on animal research.

Medical Equipment

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waste of NHS equipment that can be safely reused.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency. The Department is working with industry, the health and care sector, and academic partners to develop medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery, by default. Within the medical technology sector, the Department is exploring options for reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery in medical devices through its Design for Life programme. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, infrastructure and policy environments that support these aims.The NHS clinical waste strategy, published on 7 March 2023, sets out NHS England’s ambition to transform the management of clinical waste by eliminating unnecessary waste, finding innovative ways to reuse, and ensuring waste is processed in the most cost effective, efficient, and sustainable way.NHS England has developed a waste planning tool consistent with this clinical waste strategy for all National Health Service providers, which includes improved segregation, waste minimisation, and increased reuse programmes. This will lead to reductions in the road miles that waste travels, increases in the use of re-usable sharps bins, and plans made towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon from waste management.

Department of Health and Social Care: WhatsApp

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Andrew Stephenson: All departments in the Government, including arms lengths bodies, apply the published guidance, Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business, published by the Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in the Government, including ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers. The Department uses this central guidance, and has applied it since March 2023.

Dental Services: Somerset

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices stopped providing NHS services in Somerset in the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: The number of dentists who performed National Health Service work in the last five years, as well as the number of dentists who started and stopped NHS work in the Somerset Integrated Care Board in each year, is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics/2022-23-annual-reportWe do not hold data on the proportion of dental practices that have stopped providing NHS services in Somerset in the last five years.

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme: Cancer

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by (a) cancer patients up to 25 and (b) families of a child with cancer (i) in the UK and (ii) from Northern Ireland who travel to receive treatment in England.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme in supporting (a) people with cancer aged up to 25 and (b) their families with the cost of travel to cancer treatment.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment (a) from the point of diagnosis, (b) throughout the duration of the cancer treatment and (c) without means testing.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretaries of State for (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Transport on financial support for people aged up to 25 with cancer for cross-border travel within the UK to receive treatment.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.

Doctors and Nurses: Bournemouth

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were in Bournemouth in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2024.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not hold information on National Health Service staff by where they reside. Data on staff working across hospital and community health services is collected and reported based on the hospital trust that employs staff. Therefore, data is presented for the relevant local hospital trust. The acute hospital trust that covered Bournemouth in 2010 was The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In 2020 there was a merger with Poole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and now Bournemouth is covered by the newly formed University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The Department does not hold data on NHS staffing levels for 2024, however the latest data published by NHS England is for November 2023, and is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics Direct comparisons of the change in staffing over time are difficult to make, due to the impact of the merger in 2020. However, the following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors and nurses working at The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in November 2010, and the number of FTE doctors and nurses working at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust in November 2023:  Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustUniversity Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust DoctorsNurses (including health visitors)DoctorsNurses (including health visitors)November 20103951,001--November 2023--1,1102,274

Health: Disadvantaged

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of a call from over 250 members of the Inequalities in Health Alliance (IHA) for a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-government strategy to tackle health inequalities.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase healthy life expectancy by five years, by 2035. We are supporting people in living healthier lives, helping the National Health Service and social care provide the best treatment and care for patients, and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.The Government continues to work together, through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)-led Levelling Up Inter-Ministerial Group, to progress the wider levelling up agenda. The levelling up missions are mutually reinforcing, and we are exploring new and existing opportunities for cross-Government action on the drivers of health, to support progress on the health mission and our wider common interests.We are also working with the DLUHC to maximise opportunities to develop partnerships through English devolution and the Levelling Up Partnerships programme. These provide opportunities to test what works at a local and regional level, to support the health mission.

Food: Hygiene

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department holds data on the number of (a) establishments that received food hygiene inspections in 2023 and (b) ratings that were issued by each category defined by the Food Standards Agency.

Andrea Leadsom: The Food Standards Agency does not hold data on the number of establishments receiving a food hygiene inspection in 2023. However, the attached tables show the number of food hygiene interventions carried out by local authorities in each country, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, for the periods 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 and 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023. This includes interventions other than inspections and audits, such as visits to monitor and verify the standards of food hygiene, visits to take samples, visits to give advice, or the assessment of documents provided by the food business. It also includes the number of food hygiene inspections and audits carried out by local authorities in each country, for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023.Local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland issued 199,262 food hygiene ratings from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. The attached tables show the data for each country by each category of food establishment, and the aggregate totals for the three countries. A food establishment may have been subject to more than one intervention, or may have received more than one food hygiene rating during 2023.PQ17107 - interventions data (1) (xlsx, 17.2KB)

Dental Services: Devon

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department provides ringfenced funding for dentistry to the Devon integrated care board.

Andrea Leadsom: We are currently considering arrangements for 2024/25. NHS England provided guidance for the integrated care boards (ICBs) that required dental allocations to be ringfenced in 2023/24, with any unused resources to be re-directed to improve National Health Service dental access in the first instance, rather than being spent on other services. In November 2023, NHS England confirmed that where ICBs had not spent all of their allocation on improving access to dentistry, they would be able to retain any underspend, and use it to balance their bottom line and any other pressures. ICBs will decide how to use any forecast underspend in line with this guidance.

Drugs: Supply Chains

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on building resilient global supply chains for branded medicines.

Andrew Stephenson: The resilience of the United Kingdom’s supply chains is a key priority for the Government. Strong supply chains are crucial to building a resilient UK, which can withstand and proactively tackle the challenges of today and the future.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) regularly engages the Department of Business and Trade (DBT), and other departments, as well as the wider health and care system and industry, on building resilient medical supply chains.For example, the DHSC engaged closely with the DBT on the publication of its Critical Imports and Supply Chain Strategy in January 2024, which sets out the Government’s overarching vision for the UK’s critical imports, and outlines the actions we will take to further enhance supply resilience. The strategy includes a spotlight on medical supply chains, and as part of the strategy’s development, medical industry representatives were invited to participate in DBT-led roundtables last year.

Defibrillators

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to defibrillators.

Andrew Stephenson: The treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease is a priority for the Government. We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and rapid intervention is central to improving outcomes. Therefore, the Government wants to increase the number of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs).This is why the Government has announced The Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, with a £1 million investment that will increase the number of AEDs within England. We want to ensure AEDs are located where they are needed most. Applications that are submitted for funding are assessed to ensure that each AED is installed in areas where there is a clear need for the device, such as high footfall areas or rural locations with extended ambulance response times. Priority will also be given to applications that are considered a cardiac health hotspot, with high levels of deprivation and low numbers of AEDs within the local area.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment with NHS England of the potential merits of left ventricular assist devices as long-term therapy for patients ineligible for transplantation.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England has a commissioning specification for using ventricular assist devices (VADs) as a bridge to transplantation, or as a bridge to a decision on transplant suitability. The use of VADs as a treatment and destination therapy for patients who are not eligible for a transplant, is not routinely commissioned. NHS England has recently received a policy proposition for use of VADs as long-term destination therapy for selected patients with advanced heart failure. This proposition is currently under evaluation in line with the published Policy Methods Process, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-clinical-policies/

Respiratory Diseases: Health Services

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) care for people living with pulmonary fibrosis; and if she will make an assessment of the impact of waiting times on patient care.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of pulmonary fibrosis among (a) health professionals and (b) the public.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support research into pulmonary fibrosis.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pulmonary fibrosis, although it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.In order to increase awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, NHS England has established 13 Respiratory Clinical Networks across the country. These have been vital in providing clinical leadership for respiratory services and supporting services in primary care, including restoring spirometry, which is one of the tests used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis.Furthermore, community diagnostic centres are also being established to deliver additional, digitally connected, diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with co-ordinated diagnostic tests in the community, on a range of clinical pathways, including pulmonary fibrosis. With the aim of raising the standard of care that people with this idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis receive, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also publishes quality standards that define best practice, and areas in need of improvement.

IVF

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on the number of children born as a result of IVF treatment in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Caulfield: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) publishes annual reports on the number of children born as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and has a live database containing this information, that can be found on their website. The following table shows the number of live births as a result of IVF treatments, in each of the last 10 years:Year of treatmentLive births due to IVF treatments202118,523202015,280201921,057201821,236201722,086201621,305201520,801201420,066201319,000201217,967Source: data is from the HFEA annual report on fertility treatment and the HFEA dashboard.Note: live births for 2019, 2020, and 2021 are preliminary, and have not yet undergone quality assurance processes, to verify that the data is correctly recorded on the register.

Baby Care Units: Out of Area Treatment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to ensure that families of children in Special Care Baby Units whose babies are being treated out of their area are provided with financial assistance.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme offers financial support to eligible parents and carers, to enable them to make the journey to hospital, in these circumstances. Families can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at their hospital for information and advice on travel costs and financial support.

Out of Area Treatment: Families

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of having to visit (a) children and (b) babies in hospital out of area on low income families.

Maria Caulfield: There are a number of financial support schemes available to support low-income families, so that they can in turn support their children or babies while they are in hospital. These include: the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, which offers financial support to eligible parents and carers to enable them to make the journey to hospital while their baby or child is being cared for; the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023, which is due to provide qualifying new parents with a right to 12 weeks’ leave and pay when their baby requires neonatal care, in addition to existing parental leave entitlements, to help address the financial barriers faced by families; and the Sure Start Maternity Grant, which aims to help low-income families meet the wider costs of having a new baby.

Department of Health and Social Care: Publishing

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three financial years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Andrew Stephenson: The information is not available in the format requested, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Department is digital by default, and the primary channel for issuing reports and guidance is the GOV.UK website.

Home Office

Asylum: Churches

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the article by the former Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Rt hon. Member for Fareham, entitled Too many churches are facilitating bogus asylum claims. This must stop, published by the Telegraph on 3 February 2024, whether his Department holds evidence of churches facilitating high levels of false asylum claims.

Tom Pursglove: Every asylum case is determined on its individual merits and on a case by case basis. The Home Secretary and the Church are working together to better scrutinise asylum claims based on religious persecution and ensure those in genuine need are supported, and that there are no loopholes to claiming asylum in this country.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many days in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, (e) 2023, and (f) 2024 Border Force implemented a (i) red, (ii) amber and (iii) green rating for expected numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office has received regular assessments of the likelihood of Channel crossings from the Met Office since 1 September 2019.The Home Office’s records show the following distribution of Red (Crossing attempts likely, or very likely), Amber (Realistic possibility of crossing attempts being made), and Green (Crossing attempts unlikely or very unlikely) ratings from 1 September 2019 to 6 March 2024: YearRedAmberGreenTotal of days2019151988122202010386177366202110352210365202210663196365202310256207365202412183666

Home Office: Publishing

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three financial years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Chris Philp: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department.Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on gov.uk

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Dr Jamie Wallis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.

Chris Philp: The law in relation to fire and rescue services in Wales is devolved to Senedd Cymru.The Home Office are in dialogue with Welsh Government as part of routine engagement with the Four Nations. This engagement has featured integrity related issues, including most recently, the Welsh Government take-over of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority functions.The Home Office will prioritise the actions needed to ensure fire and rescue services are welcoming, respectful workplaces that enable all individuals who work in them to thrive. We expect all partners and sector leaders to play their part.

Police: Dismissal

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the recommendations of the review entitled The process of police officer dismissals, published by his Department in September 2023.

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department plans to implement the recommendations of the review entitled The process of police officer dismissals, published by his Department in September 2023, which do not require secondary legislation.

Chris Philp: In August 2023, the Government announced a series of reforms to the police misconduct, vetting and performance systems, following conclusion of the review into police officer dismissals.Legislative changes are being delivered in three tranches, with the aim to implement amendments to secondary legislation in the spring and summer, as well as a clause within the Criminal Justice Bill. These changes will be accompanied by strengthened statutory guidanceIt remains essential that the dismissals system is fair and transparent for the public, forces and all police officers and staff. That is why the Government, with the policing sector, continue to improve data collection to better understand and tackle disparities across the disciplinary system.

Police: Cardiff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for policing in Cardiff in recognition of its capital city status.

Chris Philp: On 31st January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £18.4 billion in 2024-25, an increase of up to £842.9 million when compared to 2023-24.South Wales Police will receive up to £399.9 million in 2024-25, an increase of up to £24.4 million compared to 2023-24.The Government has previously carefully considered requests for additional funding from South Wales Police.The Home Office will continue to work with South Wales Police to assess its pressures and any capital city funding requirements as part of the wider review of police funding.

Home Office: WhatsApp

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Chris Philp: Whatsapp is not a supported application and is not available for all Home Office Staff.However, if staff in specific roles have a valid business justification to use Whatsapp for their job, they can apply to have it installed on their corporate mobile devices via an exceptions process, and will receive guidance on how to configure the app to ensure it meets Home Office security standards.

Visas: Ukraine

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of extending visas for people resident in the UK on Ukrainian sponsorship schemes (a) indefinitely and (b) beyond 18 months.

Tom Pursglove: To provide certainty about the future of the Ukraine visa schemes, on 18 February we announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme set to open in early 2025 (before the first UKR scheme visas start to expire in March 2025).We keep our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with the ongoing war, engaging closely with other Government departments, the Ukrainian government and our counterparts globally, including governments within Europe who are hosting Ukrainians under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive (or similar).The Ukrainian government have been clear about their strong desire for the future repatriation of its citizens to help rebuild Ukraine when it is safe to do so. It is important that our approach respects these wishes and therefore our offer of sanctuary remains temporary in nature and does not lead to settlement in the UK.

Visas: Gaza

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Gaza have arrived in the UK following a successful application for a visa as a dependant of someone in the UK on a (a) work and (b) student visa since 7 October 2023.

Tom Pursglove: Border Force does not hold the information in an easily accessible format, therefore the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Christianity

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of asylum claims based on false conversions to Christianity between 6 September 2022 and 13 November 2023.

Tom Pursglove: This information is not recorded in a reportable format. Information regarding initial decisions on asylum claims, by outcome, is contained within the ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This does not include information regarding whether the asylum claimant changed their religion.

Visas: Appeals

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the lack of an appeals process for Visitor Visa's on tourism numbers coming to the UK.

Tom Pursglove: The department has not conducted an assessment of tourism numbers and appeals. When appeals for family visitors were abolished in 2013, the assessment was that the quicker and more cost-effective remedy for those refused was a fresh application, with judicial review available where necessary. These options are open to tourists, who therefore have no reason to be deterred by the lack of an appeal. In 2023, the number of visitor visas issued was up by 40% on 2022.In 2014, the immigration appeals system was reserved for cases raising issues of fundamental rights, and in those rare cases where a visit engages human rights an appeal is still available.

Offences against Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will consider the potential merits of implementing a method for members of the public to report directly and anonymously suspected child exploitation.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps members of the public can take to report suspected cases of child exploitation.

Laura Farris: Since 2019, The Home Office has provided £3.9m to the Children’s Society’s Prevention Programme, which drives targeted action to respond to exploitation. The programme has reached over 56,000 people and works with 35 police force areas on the #LookCloser campaign delivered in partnership between The Children’s Society, the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) and the British Transport Police (BTP). The #LookCloser campaign’s focus is on improving public and business sector awareness of exploitation and abuse, and everyone’s role in spotting and reporting concerns.The Government is also acting quickly to implement mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in England, which introduces a new legal requirement for those in roles with responsibility for children to speak out when a child is being sexually abused. Following the conclusion of a call for evidence over the Summer, and a public consultation, the Government announced it will introduce mandatory reporting via amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill. The Government has listened to the voices of victims and survivors and will deliver deep-rooted change to ensure children are never again so badly let down by the very institutions that should have protected them.If anyone has any concerns that a child is being exploited, the government strongly encourages them to report those concerns to the police or to contact the children’s social care team at their local council. Members of the public can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, NSPCC Helpline or ChildLine to discuss their concerns and get confidential advice.

Migrants: Domestic Violence

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals claimed indefinite leave to remain through the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession in each year between 2018 and 2023.

Michael Tomlinson: We do not routinely publish the requested information on the concession or immediate settlement for migrant victims of domestic abuse in a reportable format.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Palestinians: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to deliver aid to Palestine by sea.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are increasingly concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and recognise the urgent need to significantly scale up the flow of aid getting in. All parties must take immediate steps to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, ease restrictions on humanitarian supplies and ensure the UN and aid agencies can reach civilians in need throughout Gaza. We continue to explore all routes for aid deliveries, including the Cypriot initiative for a maritime corridor between Cyprus and Israel/OPTs and have called on Israel to open further aid routes into Gaza, such as Ashdod Port and the Erez crossing.The Foreign Secretary has appointed his Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mark Bryson-Richardson. He is based in the region and is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching Gaza.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: WhatsApp

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

David Rutley: All departments in central government, including arms lengths bodies apply the published guidance: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business], published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.

Israeli Settlements

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing sanctions on (a) Itamar Ben Gvir, (b) Bezalel Smotrich and (c) other Israeli officials that support the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We urge Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately. We continue to take a strong stance against settler violence and urge Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.We do not speculate on future designations.

Ecuador: Emergency Powers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 9041 on Ecuador: Emergency Powers, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to support Ecuador.

David Rutley: Staff in Quito and London remain in regular contact with the Ecuadorean authorities following recent security incidents and the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency in January. Our wide-ranging security cooperation includes practical capacity and capability support, such as the donation in early March of essential security equipment which will bolster frontline police capability and protection. I [Minister Rutley] spoke with Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Sommerfeld on 7 March and reaffirmed the UK's commitment to supporting Ecuador in its fight against serious organised crime. We are committed to supporting the country in ensuring that the rule of law prevails.

Diplomatic Immunity

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department granted a Special Mission Immunity certificate to a (a) visitor and (b) prospective visitor in 2023; and what the nationality was of each person.

David Rutley: The FCDO did not issue any Special Mission Certificates in 2023.

Diplomatic Immunity

Andy McDonald: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department granted a Special Mission Immunity certificate to a (a) visitor and (b) prospective visitor since 1 January 2024; and what the nationality was of each person.

David Rutley: The FCDO has granted one Special Mission Status certificate since 1 January 2024. This certificate was for the visit of Israeli Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday 6 March.

Turkey: Administration of Justice

Ruth Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the new legislative package in Turkey entitled Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure and Various Laws and Decree-Law No. 659.

Leo Docherty: As a close partner, we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. We remind Turkey to act in line with the European Convention on Human Rights, other Council of Europe conventions, and broader democratic norms.

Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to provide emergency shelter kits for people in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: Since February 2022, the UK Government has pledged £357 million in support of the humanitarian response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This includes work with Ukrainian local partners to provide emergency response items and other vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. For example, we have supported the International Organisation for Migration and the Ukrainian Red Cross to provide shelter kits to those affected by shelling, which is increasingly impacting residential buildings, as well as other emergency items to those in urgent need.

Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) implications for his policies of the (i) humanitarian and (ii) civilian protection situation in the Amhara region of Ethiopia and (b) adequacy of the accountability for alleged violations against civilians in that region since August 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We follow the conflict in Amhara and its implications for civilians closely and we have offered assistance to the Government of Ethiopia to find a peaceful solution. The UK has increased support to the Ethiopia Human Rights Commission who monitor the situation and who will be key in implementing the recently announced Transitional Justice Policy for Ethiopia. This aims to provide a mechanism for accountability for crimes committed in Amhara as well as other regions affected by conflict. We continue to speak out on specific incidents such as suspected extra-judicial killings in Merawit and consistently call for the protection of civilians in Amhara and Oromia, most recently at the UN Human Rights Council, and with Government of Ethiopia interlocutors. His Majesty's Ambassador met with the Amhara regional President in January and discussed a number of issues, including the ongoing conflict and prospects for dialogue.

Sudan: Human Rights

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report entitled Situation of human rights in the Sudan, published by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 22 February 2024; and what steps he plans to take to support accountability for the possible violations of international humanitarian law documented in that report.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK welcomes the recent report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the situation in Sudan. This report adds to the mounting credible evidence of abuses taking place in Sudan, attributed to both warring parties. The UK is strongly committed to respect for human rights and accountability, including through the UN Security Council. In October 2023, the UK led efforts in the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international and independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). That mission will ensure that credible allegations of human rights violations are investigated for future accountability efforts. The UK continues to support the essential work of the OHCHR and the International Criminal Court in investigating and documenting the mounting reports of abuses taking place across the country.

Department for Transport

Motorways: Safety

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent comparative assessment his Department has made of the safety of (a) smart and (b) other motorways; and what evidence was used to make that assessment.

Guy Opperman: The Government have cancelled plans for new smart motorways, recognising the lack of confidence felt by drivers and cost pressures. This will allow us to track public confidence and consider safety and economic data over a longer period. The most recent comparative assessment is contained in National Highways Smart motorways stocktake Third year progress report, published in December 2023 (www.nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/smart-motorways-evidence-stocktake/). In terms of deaths or serious injuries, the latest safety data continues to show that overall, all smart motorway types are safer than conventional motorways.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussion he has had with the Secretary of State for for Business and Trade on enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 for seafarers working on (a) domestic shipping routes and (b) offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf.

Guy Opperman: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

M5: Motorway Service Areas

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to sell an extension to the lease on the Motorway Service Area at Strensham Northbound on the M5.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport is in discussions with the operator of Strensham Northbound motorway service area regarding the future of the lease at that site. The nature of these discussions means they are commercially confidential. A final decision is not required soon because the sites lease does not expire until 2042.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 15716 on Parking: Pedestrian Areas, what his planned timetable is to respond to the Local Government Association's report entitled The Path to Inclusive Footways, published on 10 February 2024.

Guy Opperman: The Government welcomes the report from the Local Government Association, which it will consider in the development of future policies and programmes.

Railway Stations: St Athan

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's new story entitled New railway station backed for the Vale of Glamorgan, published on 19 February 2024, how much funding his Department has committed to fund the development of a business case for a new station at St Athan.

Huw Merriman: As part of the government’s plan to grow the economy through continued investment in local transport we have committed to explore options for a new station at St Athan. We are currently working with Network Rail, Transport for Wales, and the Vale of Glamorgan Council to define the scope of business case development required and the associated costs.

Department for Transport: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Anthony Browne: The Department for Transport does not publish estimates of fraud and error losses, as the wide variety of transaction streams for which the Department is responsible for does not currently lend itself to statistically valid modelling of fraud estimates.

Carbon Emissions: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 73 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, which policy areas will receive funding from the £1.8 billion allocated to core net zero spend relating to the Department for Transport for the 2024-25 financial year; and how much funding as been issued to each of those policy areas for the 2024-25 financial year.

Anthony Browne: The £1.8 billion allocated to the Department for Transport for the financial year 2024-25 in the 2021 Spending Review supports net zero policies across zero emission vehicles (including buses) and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the bus transformation funding to support local authority Bus Service Improvement Plans, air quality improvement measures, active travel policies, City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, Nexus Metrofleet in Newcastle, rail electrification, and the UK’s production of sustainable aviation fuel. £333 million of the £1.8 billion was reallocated to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (now the Department for Business and Trade), for the electrification of UK vehicle manufacturing and their supply chains, including through the Automotive Transformation Fund Programme. The Department’s business planning process for 2024-25 financial year remains ongoing and final plans will be published in due course as per standard practice.

Shipping: Crew

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry statistics, published by his Department on 22 February 2024, how many vessels belonging to members of the UK Chamber of Shipping were surveyed as part of the data collection process.

Guy Opperman: The Department of Transport commission the UK Chamber of Shipping to carry out the Seafarer Employment Survey of its membership, collecting information on the seafarers the companies employ. The survey is about seafarers, therefore data on the number of vessels belonging to members of the UK Chamber of Shipping was not collected as part of this survey.

Department for Transport: Domestic Visits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many domestic overnight visits were undertaken by Ministers within his Department in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

Anthony Browne: The Government publishes, on GOV.UK, details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Immigration Controls

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with UK sanction regimes at (a) airports, (b) seaports and (c) rail entry points.

Anthony Browne: Transport sanctions apply to all UK ports and airports. His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs lead on the enforcement of trade sanctions at rail entry points. At all ports, airports and rail entry points, there are clear processes in place to effectively identify and deal with sanctions breaches.

Carbon Emissions: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 73 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, which policies were identified for receipt of core net zero spend funding from the £1 billion allocated to fund decarbonisation of cars and vans in the financial year 2024-25 at the time that Budget was published; how much funding each of those policies was due to receive; and whether any of those policies have been discontinued since 2021.

Anthony Browne: The £1 billion allocated to fund the decarbonisation of cars and vans for the financial year 2024-25 in the 2021 Spending Review was allocated to a range of policies across the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (now the Department for Business and Trade). For the Department for Transport, HM Treasury allocated £619m for policies relating to zero emission vehicles, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and air quality. This sum was subsequently allocated by the Department to specific policies, including the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, the Rapid Charging Fund, the Plug-in Vehicle Grants, EV Homecharging Schemes, the Workplace Charging Scheme and the Joint Air Quality Unit’s NO2 programme. All grants are kept under continual review to ensure best value for money for the taxpayer. The remaining funding (£333m) was allocated for the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy, for the electrification of UK vehicles and their supply chain, including through the Automotive Transformation Fund Programme. This aims to support the creation of an internationally competitive EV supply chain in the UK, through research and development and capital investments.

High Speed 2 Line: Staffordshire

Jack Brereton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the value engineering report for the design of the proposed Handsacre Junction of HS2.

Huw Merriman: There have been no value engineering reports on Handsacre junction since Network North. Previous decisions to change the design of Handsacre junction were made to reduce costs and disruption for passengers on the West Coast Main Line during construction, which was value for money given the previous plan to deliver Phase 2a on an accelerated timeframe would have resulted in the use of the junction for more than 1 train per hour in each direction only for a very short period.

Railways: Competition

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to (a) allow multiple train operating companies to operate on each rail line and (b) take other steps to help increase competition on regional lines.

Huw Merriman: We recognise that competition can be beneficial for passengers as it can drive innovation and improvements to services. We have been clear that, in the right circumstances, open access operators can play a role in increasing this competition and have supported recent applications such as Wrexham, Shropshire & Midland Railway’s application to operate services for customers in North Wales, the West Midlands and on the West Coast Mainline.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) models and (b) number of helicopters licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority to transport offshore oil and gas workers to and from installations in the North Sea.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average age of the helicopter transport fleet in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new helicopter models were licenced by the Civil Aviation Authority for service in the North Sea oil and gas industry between 2016 and 4 March 2024; and how many applications the Civil Aviation Authority received from helicopter manufacturers in that period.

Anthony Browne: In 2017 the Airbus EC 175 entered UK service in support of Oil and Gas offshore operations, and as of 1 March 2024, there are 19 of these operating in the sector. Since that date no new aircraft types have entered service, nor has the CAA received applications from manufacturers to certify a new type. The average age of sector UK fleet is 9.6 years.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the global supply chain on the (a) repair and (b) maintenance of helicopter models licensed to provide public transport in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Anthony Browne: Spares and material shortages are not considered a direct safety issue to the operation of the aircraft but may reduce aircraft availability and increase maintenance activity to maintain operational flying of available aircraft. It is recommended that all operators carry out a safety case for their operation within their Safety Management System to identify specific risks and mitigations

Pedestrian Crossings: Schools

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many schools were served by crossing guards in (a) 2018 and (b) 2024.

Guy Opperman: Local authorities are responsible for the provision of school crossing patrols as they are best placed to assess the needs of the local community. The Department for Transport does not collect statistics on school crossing patrols.

Electric Vehicles: Taxis

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) Ltd and (b) the wider industry on the repair capacity for (i) LEVC black cabs and (ii) other electric taxis.

Guy Opperman: The Department has regular engagement with LEVC and the wider industry on a range of topics, most recently including manufacturing trends and the extension to the Plug In Taxi Grant. However, matters relating to electric taxi repairs have not been raised. The Government recognises there will be a transitional period for the repair sector as the UK moves to zero emission road transport. Although not specifically on electric taxis, the Government funded research by Thatcham to understand the impact of the electric vehicle transition on the repair sector, which was published in 2023. The number of EV qualified technicians has risen rapidly. Data from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) suggests there are 52,000 qualified electric vehicle technicians in the UK, which is 22% of all UK technicians. This is relative to 3.8% of all vehicles in the UK being a plug-in electric vehicle.

Shipping: Crew

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of non-qualifying seafarers working on vessels in scope of the Seafarers Wages Act 2023; and when he plans to publish the updated impact assessment.

Guy Opperman: In 2023, the Government passed the Seafarers’ Wages Act to address this issue. Based on data and assumptions used in the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 impact assessment (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62e2aa8ed3bf7f75af0923d5/seafarers-wages-impact-assessment.pdf), the Department for Transport estimates that there are 9,400 non-qualifying seafarers working on vessels in scope of the Seafarers Wages Act 2023. A non-qualifying seafarer is defined as all other seafarers on vessels within scope of The Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023, that do not directly benefit from the policy, because it is estimated that they are not currently at risk of being paid below the National Minimum Wage equivalent (NMWe).An updated version of the impact assessment will be published in due course.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of seafarers working on ships that regularly use UK ports who are paid less than the national minimum wage.

Guy Opperman: In 2023, the Government passed the Seafarers’ Wages Act to address this issue. Based on data and assumptions used in the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 impact assessment (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62e2aa8ed3bf7f75af0923d5/seafarers-wages-impact-assessment.pdf), the Government’s most recent estimate is that 4,400 individuals working on services in scope of the Act (i.e. those working on international services calling at a UK port at least 120 times a year) may be being paid less than the UK national minimum wage. The secondary legislation that the Department is consulting on currently will bring the Act into force to address this issue.

Heathrow Airport

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received any representations from Heathrow Airport Ltd on proposals to increase the number of air transport movements at that Airport.

Anthony Browne: The Department has received no recent representations from Heathrow Airport Ltd on proposals to increase the number of air transport movements at Heathrow Airport.

Great Western Main Line: South Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of performance on the Great Western mainline to South Wales.

Huw Merriman: Improving performance on the Great Western Main Line is a high priority for Network Rail and my Department. I have met the Chief Executive of Network Rail multiple times to discuss this issue and it is clear to both of us that current performance is not meeting the standards of reliability that passengers deserve. Last week Network Rail launched its £140m Thames Valley Recovery Plan, which focusses on improving performance over the next 18 months.

South Wales Main Line

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on the provision of relief lines to allow additional capacity on the South Wales mainline in South Wales.

Huw Merriman: The government is investing in an enhancement of the Relief Lines between the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff. The proposed increase in line speed and capacity would improve the performance of existing passenger and freight trains and enable the operation of additional local services as set out in the recommendations of Lord Burns’ South East Wales Transport Commission. The Full Business Case for this scheme is on target to be delivered by the end of the year.

North Road (Darlington) Station

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on improvements to North Road Station in Darlington ahead of the 200th Anniversaries of the Railways.

Huw Merriman: North Road Station is currently under consideration for Northern’s ongoing platform improvement programme, designed to improve the stepping distance between the platform and the train.

Department for Business and Trade

UK Tradeshow Programme

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 10114 on UK Tradeshow Programme, how many SMEs were provided with grants to participate in tradeshows overseas through the (a) UK Tradeshow Programme in financial year 2022-23 and (b) Tradeshow Access Programme in financial year 2019-20; and how many of those grants in each year were given to SMEs operating in the (i) fashion and (ii) fashion retail sectors.

Greg Hands: The UK Tradeshow Programme in the financial year 2022-23 awarded 93 grants, seven of those grants were for businesses in the fashion industry.The Tradeshow Access Programme in the financial year 2019-20 awarded 2531 grants, approximately 442 of those grants were for businesses in the fashion industry.No further information is held to distinguish between businesses in the fashion or fashion retail sector.

Department for Business and Trade: Fraud and Maladministration

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department in each of the last three financial years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report. This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, the Department for Business and Trade have not yet published any fraud and error estimates.The latest published figures available for the Department for International Trade are available in the 2022 Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report.The latest Government figures made available in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts (2022/2023), for all BEIS activities, indicated that estimated expected losses due to fraud and error within the Bounce Back Loan Scheme will be £1.74bn. There are not material levels of fraud and error within the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme or the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme.Other losses include £4 million in relation to 2 suspected fraudulent payments within the Future Fund Scheme.

Department for Business and Trade: Publishing

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what reports and guidance their Department and its predecessor Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department. Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on gov.uk.

Manufacturing Industries: Productivity

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to (a) support the manufacturing sector and (b) help increase national productivity.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The government has a strong track record of backing the sector and in November published our Advanced Manufacturing Plan (AMP) which aims to make the UK the best place in the world to start, scale up and invest in manufacturing.Our plan, which builds on our extensive existing support, is underpinned by a £4.5bn commitment for strategic manufacturing sectors to 2030, a further £16 million to expand SME digital adoption through Made Smarter, provides tax relief and includes measures aimed at improving our business environment including grid connection, supply chain resilience and the UKs first Battery Strategy.Made Smarter equips businesses with funding and tailored advise from specialists on the successful adoption of applications such as machine learning, data/systems integration and robotics to help drive efficiency, increase automation and raise productivity.

Horizon IT System: Contracts

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether Ministers approved the contracts to implement the Horizon system in Post Offices.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Horizon IT Inquiry considered the procurement of the Horizon IT system during Phase 2. We should wait for the Inquiry to report.

Iron and Steel: Energy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make a comparative assessment of energy prices for steel production in (a) the UK, (b) China, (c) Germany and (d) the US.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Comparisons with energy costs in other countries is one of the considerations for the development and introduction of support for energy intensive industries including the steel sector. The British Industry Supercharger will introduce targeted measures to ensure the energy costs for key UK industries are in line with other major economies around the world – levelling the playing field for British companies across Europe. The government is committed to rolling out its measures between April 2024 and April 2025.

Post Codes: Rochdale

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will have discussions with Royal Mail on the allocation of the RO postcode to Rochdale.

Kevin Hollinrake: The allocation of postcodes is an operational matter for Royal Mail as an independent business. The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s operational decisions.

Foreign Investment: Dispute Resolution

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report entitled Paying polluters: the catastrophic consequences of investor-State dispute settlement for climate and environment action and human rights by the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, published on 13 July 2023.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to pages 3-5 paragraphs 1-9 of the report by UN Special Rapporteur entitled Paying polluters: the catastrophic consequences of investor-State dispute settlement for climate and environment action and human rights, published on 13 July 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of not including the investor state dispute settlement in future trade agreements.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) is an effective means of resolving investment disputes. The UK has investment agreements containing ISDS with around 90 trading partners. There has not been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK, nor does ISDS hinder our right to regulate in the public interest, including in areas such as the environment and human rights. This right is recognised in international law. Where the UK negotiates ISDS, in line with modern international best practice, it ensures the mechanism delivers fair outcomes of disputes, has independent arbitrators bound by high ethical standards, and that proceedings are transparent.

Department for Business and Trade: WhatsApp

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance her Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: All departments in central government, including arms lengths bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business). This was published by the Cabinet Office in March 2023.It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Department for Business and Trade uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.

Department for Business and Trade: Supply Estimates

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will publish an explanatory memorandum in relation to her Department’s supplementary estimates for 2023-24.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Yes, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade will publish an explanatory memorandum in relation to the Department’s Supplementary Estimates for 2023-24.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to MOD's ministerial travel, January to March 2023, which tickets relating to which journeys were (a) first, (b) business, (c) economy and (d) any other class; and what the cost of each such ticket was.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to MOD's ministerial travel, April to June 2023, which tickets relating to which journeys were (a) first, (b) business, (c) economy and (d) any other class; and what the cost of each such ticket was.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to MOD's ministerial travel, July to September 2023, which tickets relating to which journeys were (a) first (b) business (c) economy and (d) any other class; and what the cost of each such ticket was.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). The Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel at home or abroad as has been the case under successive administrations.

Veterans: Identity Cards

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the visual quality of images on Armed Forces Veteran Cards.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The image used on the Armed Forces Veteran Cards is provided by the individual themselves and, similarly to passport applications, detailed guidance on image standards is provided within the application process. All images are checked before printing to ensure that the photograph is appropriate and that a good likeness can be established. Of the 67,335 Phase 2 cards issued since the new digital application and verification service launched on 28 January 2024, a small percentage were misprinted due to printer error. The causes of the misprints have been identified and are being addressed. These errors are well within levels expected from a new, high volume, automated process which delivers significant cost savings for the taxpayer. The automation of printing and enveloping means that printed cards are not individually checked before despatch. However, any card reported as poorly printed on receipt is investigated and a new card is printed and sent directly to the individual.

Kenya: Armed Forces

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11037 on Kenya: Armed Forces, for what other matters £5.253 million in compensation was paid; and when was it paid.

Dr Andrew Murrison: £5 million was paid in total on a limited liability basis in 2002 and 2003 in relation to two group actions (1,279 claimants) brought by Kenyan nationals who were injured or killed by coming into contact with unexploded ordnance allegedly left on three training ranges in the north of Kenya. The remaining £253,000 was paid out in 24 claims between 2000 and 2024 for personal injury and included two unexploded ordnance claims unrelated to the group actions, an injury to a Kenyan national on a range and a mix of road traffic and vehicle damage claims.

Ministry of Defence: Discharges

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many requests for early termination of service have been (a) made, (b) approved and (c) rejected by each of the services in the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member’s Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Ministry of Defence: Publishing

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three financial years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 15795 on Yemen: Military Intervention, how many planes have been used; and how many sorties each has flown since 1 January 2024.

James Heappey: For each of the four operations conducted by the UK against Houthi military targets a strike package of four Typhoon FGR4s and two Voyager tankers were launched. As is standard practice with such operations, a fifth Typhoon was available as an immediate spare.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure retention and recruitment of staff for Royal Navy support ships.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Recruitment and retention of staff are a priority for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and there are a number of initiatives underway in support of this. For recruitment, the RFA is fostering relationships with universities and colleges to raise awareness of the opportunities available, planning to launch a graduate engineer scheme, sponsoring academic top up schemes to attract newly qualified engineers, and introducing a mechanism for seamless transfer to the RFA for Royal Navy (RN) service leavers. In addition to this work, the RFA plans to release a focused RFA recruitment marketing campaign. For retention, the RFA is undertaking a number of initiatives which include: enhancing human resources management with more efficient, digitised processes for claims and reporting; maximising development opportunities; enabling participation in team building and physical activities; introducing a dedicated wellbeing team and creating new and exciting shore posts.

Ministry of Defence: Fraud

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the letter from the Minister for Defence People and Families of 27 February 2024 that was sent in response to Question 3427 on Ministry of Defence: Fraud, what the longest time was for Fraud Defence to close a case in 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The average length of time for an investigation by Fraud Defence to be completed in 2023 to 23 November 2023 was quoted as 742 days in the letter sent on 27 February 2024 in response to Question 3437.For the same period, the longest time taken for Fraud Defence to close a case was 1648 days. However, records reflect that the investigation had been concluded in early 2022 but the case was not administratively closed until 2023.

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces Personnel have been prescribed Mefloquine in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The number of Armed Forces personnel with a record of a mefloquine prescription in each year since 2010 is shown in the table below: Calendar YearNumber of UK Armed Forces personnel prescribed mefloquine20103,14920112,81620122,10820133,27620141,97920151,9612016919201794201825201919202010202182022122023*4 * Includes data from 1 January 2023 to 30 September 2023 only.

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on the prescribing of Lariam to armed forces personnel of the potential side effects from using that drug.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Anti-malaria drugs, including mefloquine (brand names include Lariam), are only prescribed after a face-to-face individual risk assessment. The recommended anti-malaria drug is determined by the sensitivity of malaria parasites to those drugs in different parts of the world based on Public Health England guidance. Mefloquine is only prescribed by a doctor and after other alternatives have been identified as unsuitable and is not prescribed to divers, aircrew, or air traffic controllers. All anti-malarial drugs have a side effect profile and the full spectrum of side effects for all anti-malarial drugs, including mefloquine, can be found in the British National Formulary (BNF) online here: https://bnf.nice.org.uk or the Electronic Medicines Compendium here: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc Personnel supplied with anti-malarial drugs are issued copies of all manufacturer-provided patient documentation relevant to that drug and are informed of all special warnings or precautions to anti-malarial drugs. All suspected side effects to anti-malarial drugs are recorded on the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) using the Anti-malarial Side Effects Template and reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, using the ‘yellow card’ system.

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel have made claims to the MoD for alleged side effects relating to the use of the antimalarial drug Lariam.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To date, a total of 686 common law claims have been lodged against Ministry of Defence for side effects relating to the use of Lariam. It is not possible to provide information on claims made for War Pensions and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

Armed Forces: Commonwealth

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to join the UK Armed Forces have been made by individuals from Commonwealth nations in each year since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to join the UK Armed Forces by individuals from Commonwealth nations were (a) rejected and (b) voluntarily withdrawn in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the information to answer the right hon. Member's Questions. I will write to him and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Ministry of Defence: WhatsApp

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In accordance with Cabinet Office Policy [Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business (HTML) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)] the Ministry of Defence discourages the use of WhatsApp for anything other than keeping in touch purposes, and policy reinforces that personnel must not share or confirm any information above OFFICIAL.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the storm overflow action plans produced by water companies to be published.

Robbie Moore: As part of our drive for better water quality, the Government has asked every water and sewerage company to present a clear assessment and action plan on every storm overflow they operate, prioritising those that are spilling into bathing waters and high-priority nature sites.The action plans will be published in due course, subject to assurance of the data provided.

Water Charges

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to reduce the financial burden on families facing increased water costs.

Robbie Moore: The Government is mindful that consumers are concerned about their bills. For this reason, Defra expects all water companies to help consumers who struggle to pay their bills through measures such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support. We expect all companies to ensure households are aware of the support schemes available to them. We continue to work with industry and consumer groups to explore options to improve present social tariff arrangements and broader customer support, focusing on improving consistency and fairness.

Flood Control: East Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what flooding (a) remediation and (b) prevention work has been undertaken in East Yorkshire constituency since 2019.

Robbie Moore: There has been £2.8m of capital investment in the East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency between 2019/20 and 2023/24. This has provided the Environment Agency led project to refurbish Barmston Sea End Outfall and projects to reduce surface water flooding delivered by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in Pocklington and Langtoft. Hempholme and Wilfholme pumping stations have both been refurbished, with most funding secured from the Local Enterprise Partnership and Internal Drainage Board. Both pumping stations have played a significant part this winter in helping to remove flood water from farmland in the River Hull catchment. The Environment Agency is also conducting a project to assess and evaluate investment need in the Upper and Middle Hull, focussing on existing flood risk management assets. In addition, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has developed a business case for a scheme to reduce flood risk in the Kelleythorpe area of Driffield and is conducting feasibility studies for two other villages in the constituency.

Primates: Animal Welfare

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the accompanying guidance for the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations.

Mark Spencer: Guidance will be published in due course ensuring that local authorities are able to carry out robust inspections and that licence holders can demonstrate compliance with these standards.

Members: Correspondence

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 3 October 2023 on animal welfare.

Mark Spencer: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 6 March 2024. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Dangerous Dogs: Registration

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 14673 on Dangerous Dogs: Registration and with reference to his oral contribution on 1 February 2024, Official Report, column 970, for what reason he advised those who had not yet registered their XL Bully dogs to register them as soon as possible.

Mark Spencer: I would like to clarify that during his oral contribution on 1 February the Secretary of State inadvertently misspoke. As highlighted in the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 14673 on Dangerous Dogs, the scheme through which owners could register their XL Bully dog for a Certificate of Exemption closed at midday on 31 January 2024. This deadline was set out in The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (England and Wales) Order 2023. From 1 February 2024, it became a criminal offence to possess an XL Bully breed type without a valid Certificate of Exemption, and new exemptions can now only be authorised by a court order. If owners think they have an XL Bully dog and do not have a Certificate of Exemption, we advise that they should contact their local police force.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to help secure adequate quantities of vaccines for (a) BVT-3, (b) BVT-4 and (c) BVT-8 over the next year.

Mark Spencer: There are several serotypes of Bluetongue virus, but vaccines are only available for certain serotypes at present – BTV-1, 2, 4 and 8. For these serotypes, where vaccination is possible and where there are UK authorised products, vaccination is the best way to protect livestock. The decision on whether to vaccinate is a commercial decision for livestock keepers and they should discuss the options with their vet. Veterinary surgeons can apply to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for a Special Import Certificate, which will allow keepers to import safe and effective bluetongue vaccine to vaccinate their stock should they decide that it is appropriate for their animals. There are no authorised vaccines available for BTV-3 in the UK or Europe, but we are engaging with vaccine manufacturers on the development of a BTV-3 vaccine for use in the UK.

Bluetongue Disease

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the impact of the recent outbreak of the bluetongue virus on farmers' profits as a result of loss of livestock.

Mark Spencer: It is too early to say what the wider impacts on the industry will be, including profitability. 121 cases of Bluetongue serotype 3 have been found to date and 54 animals were culled to stem potential disease spread - full market compensation for those animals was paid to these keepers. Market impacts of animal disease are a risk carried by the industry. However, the Government seeks to minimise that risk, particularly by taking prompt action to ensure that the risk of spread of the disease is reduced. We also continue to work closely with industry bodies to ensure that matters of concern are addressed promptly.

Marine Protected Areas

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 12797 on Marine Protected Areas, when his Department expects to publish (a) the outcomes of the Marine Management Organisation’s calls for evidence on the development of byelaws to manage fishing activity impacts in marine protected areas and (b) its public consultation on those outcomes.

Mark Spencer: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) issued a call for evidence for stage 3 of its offshore Marine Protected Area byelaw programme last year and is now preparing draft byelaws for consultation. A further call for evidence on stage 4 of the programme, covering highly mobile species, closed on 13 February 2024. The MMO is analysing the responses received to this latest call for evidence before deciding what byelaws might need to be consulted on. The outcomes of both processes will be published in due course.

Darwin Initiative: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what environmental projects have been funded through Darwin Plus in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands since 2019.

Rebecca Pow: Since 2019, Darwin Plus has funded 21 environmental projects of benefit to South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. These are listed in the table below.Please visit the Darwin Plus website at https://darwinplus.org.uk/ for full details of funded projects. Project referenceProject titleUK Overseas Territories involvedDPLUS146Red Listing can protect OT marine biodiversityBritish Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS166Improving identification of fish bycatch in the Antarctic krill fisheryBritish Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS092Seabird sentinels: mapping potential bycatch risk using bird-borne radarFalkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS175Enhancing monitoring and prevention of invasive non-native species across UKOTsGibraltar, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (on Cyprus), South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Falkland IslandsDPLUS174A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservationMontserrat, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS089Integrating genetic approaches into sub-Antarctic deep sea research and managementSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS093HOT: Hadal zones of our Overseas TerritoriesSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS109Initiating monitoring support for the SGSSI-MPA Research and Monitoring PlanSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS120Spatial segregation and bycatch risk of seabirds at South GeorgiaSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS122Biodiversity discovery and the future of South Georgia’s seaweed habitatsSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS143What goes thump at night: managing bird-strike in South GeorgiaSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS144Protecting South Georgia’s terrestrial communities from climate change-invasion synergiesSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS149Resolving ecosystem effects of the South Georgia winter krill fisherySouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS179Characterising pelagic biodiversity at South Georgia through novel sampling methodsSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS186Evidence-based conservation of biodiversity in the South Sandwich IslandsSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS187Using satellite technology to monitor seabird populations at South GeorgiaSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS188Hungry humpbacks: measuring seasonal foraging intensity at South GeorgiaSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS189Evaluating climate change risks to Patagonian and Antarctic toothfishSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPL00019Mapping South Georgia's Plant BiodiversitySouth Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI)DPL00039Assessing Terrestrial Climate Change Impacts on a sub-Antarctic ArchipelagoSouth Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI)DPLUS132Monitoring albatrosses using very high resolution satellites and citizen scienceSt Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Agriculture: Inflation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made on the average 12-month inflation rate in (a) agricultural outputs and (b) agricultural inputs in each year since 2010.

Mark Spencer: The table below provides the annual agricultural price indices for 2014 to 2023, along with the annual inflation rates for 2015 to 2023 (calculated as a year-on-year percentage increase from the annual indices). Annual inflation rates are only available from 2015 onwards on an equivalent basis, because it was only possible to backdate the indices to 2014 when the agricultural price index was rebased to 2020 in 2023. Table: Annual inflation rate for all agricultural outputs and all agricultural inputs, 2015-2023.   2014201520162017201820192020202120222023 (a)All agricultural outputs price index (base = 2020)95.186.585.494.597.496.5100.0109.9130.6132.4All agricultural inputs price index (base = 2020)95.889.787.291.798.8100.4100.0111.4143.2135.6All agricultural outputs inflation rate -9.1%-1.3%10.7%3.0%-0.9%3.6%9.9%18.9%1.4%All agricultural inputs inflation rate -6.4%-2.7%5.1%7.8%1.6%-0.4%11.4%28.5%-5.3%  Source: Defra Agricultural Price IndicesLatest agricultural price indices - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  Notes:(a) Values for 2023 are provisionalData are only available from 2015 onwards on an equivalent basis, following re-basing of the agricultural price index to 2020 in 2023.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence: Departmental Coordination

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 21 of the report entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation: Government response, published on 6 February 2024, when the lead AI Ministers have met; and how frequently they plan to meet in 2024.

Saqib Bhatti: It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Domestic Visits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many domestic overnight visits Ministers within (a) her Department and (b) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were taken in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits over the same time period.

Andrew Griffith: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (vias, accommodation, meals).

Children: Social Media

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment the Government has made of the impact of (a) smartphone and (b) social media use by under 16s on their (i) mental health and (ii) safety.

Saqib Bhatti: The government is committed to making the UK the safest place to be a child online, as evidenced by the landmark Online Safety Act. Harmful and age-inappropriate online content and activity can be particularly damaging for children. That is why the Online Safety Act places robust, much-needed responsibilities on technology companies – including social media platforms, search services and other services which host user-generated content – to keep all users, but particularly children, safe online. In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers noted that the available research did not present evidence of a causal relationship between screen-based activities and mental health problems; however, some research found associations between screen-based activities and negative effects such as increased risk of anxiety or depression. The government is committed to ensuring that children have a positive experience online, using the internet for connecting with peers, as well as to access educational resources, information, and entertainment.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department and predecessor Departments in each of the last three financial years.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits. Due to the Machinery of Government changes, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have not yet produced fraud and error estimates, but this will be published in the 23/24 annual report and accounts. The latest Government figures for former BEIS can be found in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts (2022/2023).

Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13769 on Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment, how many risks have been (a) identified and (b) included on her Department's AI risk register.

Saqib Bhatti: DSIT’s Central AI Risk Function owns the AI Risk Register and is responsible for the processes by which we identify, assess and prepare for AI risks.Mitigating these risks is a cross-Government effort. DSIT works in partnership with relevant risk owning departments, agencies and regulators, to ensure we assess and prepare for these risks in a timely manner.In the White Paper we committed to publishing the risk register. This will commence from Spring 2024.

Health: Research

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to tackle regulatory systems that slow down research.

Andrew Griffith: Government is committed to delivering a regulatory system that is pro-innovation, easy to navigate and facilitates commercialisation of science and technology applications, as set out in the Science and Technology Framework. Regulatory systems for life sciences are led by DHSC, and its arms-length-body the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently launched a new, streamlined process for clinical trial applicants. The Department works with DHSC wherever appropriate on regulatory matters; for example, delivering the Government Chief Scientific Adviser's life sciences review and supporting on the wider implementation of the O'Shaughnessy Review into commercial clinical trials.

Research: Visas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that (a) researchers and (b) their families are able to access UK visas.

Andrew Griffith: The Government’s points-based immigration offer enables talented scientists, researchers and innovators and their families to come to the UK via tailored and fast-track visa routes. These include the Global Talent visa for talented individuals in science and technology, the Scale-up visa for individuals recruited by UK-based high-growth companies and the Skilled Worker visa for individuals with a job offer in certain sectors. The Government’s GREAT Talent campaign and website provides accessible information on visa routes for top international talent.

Data Protection

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of authorising the Information Commissioner’s Office to arbitrate on data protection claims.

Julia Lopez: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for regulating the UK’s data protection legislation and has a range of criminal and civil enforcement tools at its disposal. People can already complain to the ICO about the way an organisation has handled their personal information. In response to a complaint the ICO may make recommendations to the organisation to put things right or to improve their practice. The UK legal system also provides for independent judicial remedies. People may seek a judicial remedy from the start, or they may proceed to court after having already complained to the ICO. They may also in some instances seek a judicial remedy against the ICO or lodge a complaint in relation to its activity.

Broadband: Social Tariffs

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 14701 on Broadband: Social Tariffs, whether the data on the number of households that were taking up a social tariff from Ofcom's December 2023 Pricing Trends report is available by (a) nation and (b) region.

Julia Lopez: Ofcom has a legal duty to monitor the affordability of telecommunications services and regularly publishes data on awareness and take-up of social tariffs on a UK-wide basis. Ofcom’s December 2023 Pricing Trends report does not break down data on the number of households that take up a broadband or mobile social tariff by nation or region. As social tariffs are commercial products, detailed information on the regional or geographical take-up could be commercially and market sensitive.

Artificial Intelligence: Migrant Workers

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Britain to be made AI match-fit with £118 million skills package, published on 31 October 2023, what progress she has made on the creation of a new dedicated visa scheme for the world’s most talented AI researchers to come to the UK on internships and placements, early in their careers.

Andrew Griffith: The Government has invested over £290m in AI skills and talent initiatives as we’re committed to building a sustainable pipeline of skilled workers in the UK. My Department has been working closely with the Home Office on developing a new dedicated visa scheme for the world’s most talented AI researchers to come to the UK on internships and placements, early in their careers, to encourage them to build their careers, ideas and businesses here. This will further strengthen the UK’s generous and points-based immigration system, which enables talented international researchers to come to the UK through a number of visa routes, including the approved Temporary Worker Government Authorised Exchange schemes for individuals interested in short-term internships, training and work experience.

Telecommunications: Empty Property

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether officials in her Department have had discussions with British Telecom on the potential use of former telephone exchange buildings that are vacant and derelict.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) engages with Openreach on a regular basis to discuss their digital infrastructure plans. DSIT have not had discussions with Openreach about the potential use of former telephone exchange buildings that are vacant and derelict. Exiting exchanges is a long-term endeavour and most exits are expected to happen in early 2030s. Five exchanges are planned to close as part of a trial in the 2024-2025 period. DIST officials remain in contact with Openreach and will aim to discuss how exchange buildings will be repurposed.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Abuse: Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people charged with an offence relating to domestic violence were released under the home detention curfew in the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: Home detention curfew (HDC) is a robust scheme which has been in operation since 1999. Offenders currently serving a sentence for a domestic abuse linked offence are extremely unlikely to be released on HDC. This government has taken steps to ensure that offenders serving sentences for offences linked to domestic abuse – including non-fatal strangulation and stalking – are presumed unsuitable for HDC, due to the seriousness of these offences and the government’s firm stance on them. This means they will only be considered for release under the scheme where there are highly specific and exceptional circumstances. Offenders who are eligible and suitable for HDC are subject to a robust risk assessment to manage them safely in the community. This will include checks with partners from other agencies, such as the police, to ensure that the offender being released does not put anyone in the community at risk while on HDC. An offender who is a perpetrator of domestic abuse will not be released on HDC to an address where they pose a threat, or released on HDC at all if the risk is unmanageable. Data is not collated in a central manner and therefore could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. However, specific offence codes for domestic violence related cases – such as controlling or coercive behaviour – can be identified on an individual basis.

Young Offender Institutions

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in January 2024.

Edward Argar: The information requested, stated in hours and minutes, is set out in the table below. These are average times-out-of-room in young offender institutions. They do not include any refusals to engage with offered activities. The figures below were calculated during January 2024. Cookham WoodFelthamParcWerringtonWetherbyWeekdays3:375:058:344:156:08Weekends2:283:467:433:034:45 We recognise the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and we are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision with a consistent daily programme of activities. The Youth Custody Service continues to review regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, with a focus on recruitment and retention to support this delivery.The Youth Custody Service has commissioned a resource review across the four public sector young offender institutions, which is exploring opportunities to make better use of the staff available in the current operating environment (including the balance between management and frontline supervisory staff). The first review was at Feltham in 2023. A delivery plan following the review will be implemented early this year. We will monitor how this impacts service delivery. Cookham Wood YOI will be the next site subject to review, commencing soon, followed by the remaining public young offender institutions.

Shoplifting: Reoffenders

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 14123 on Shoplifting: Reoffenders, what the proven re-offending rate was for an index offence of shop lifting (theft from shops) for the (a) January to March 2021 and (b) January to March 2020 cohort.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 14123 on Shoplifting: Reoffenders, what the proven re-offending rate was for an index offence of robbery for the (a) January to March 2021 cohort and (b) January to March 2020 cohort.

Edward Argar: The proven reoffending rate for offenders with an index offence of shop lifting (theft from shops), who served a custodial sentence for this offence, for the (a) January – March 2021 cohort was 81.8% and (b) January – March 2020 cohort was 78.3%.The proven reoffending rate for offenders with an index offence of robbery, who served a custodial sentence for this offence, for the (a) January – March 2021 cohort was 23.8% and (b) January – March 2020 cohort was 27.8%.The overall proven reoffending rate for (a) January – March 2021 was 24.3% and (b) January – March 2020 was 24.7%. Reoffending rates in recent cohorts have been affected to varying degrees by the COVID-19 pandemic.This Government is committed to reducing reoffending, and reoffending rates have fallen from 31.3% in 2011/12 to 25.2% in 2021/22. We are investing in rehabilitation to stop prison leavers falling back into crime – including tackling drug addiction, increasing the number of offenders in work, and providing basic, short-term accommodation on release. Further, in October last year, the Lord Chancellor announced his intention to legislate for a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences of 12 months or less. The offender would then serve their sentence in the community and courts will retain discretion to impose a sentence of immediate custody where necessary. Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with Suspended Sentence Orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.On top of this, we are doubling the number of GPS tags available to courts for sentencing, ensuring more burglars and robbers are tagged which ultimately keeps our communities safer.

Juries

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the support that is available to jurors who have been adversely affected by sitting on a jury.

Mike Freer: Juries are a vital part of our criminal justice system, and jury service is an important civic duty. We want to do everything we can to help jurors feel supported as they undertake this important role. If any aspect of jury service has left a juror feeling distressed, they are encouraged to speak to their GP and/or the Samaritans. Their GP can help them to access counselling services and the Samaritans can provide support over the telephone, email or through a local Samaritan branch. A leaflet entitled ‘Supporting You Through Jury Service’ which offers further advice to jurors is available in courts. Our courts request regular feedback from jurors through Juror Experience Surveys to better understand jurors’ needs which finds most jurors enjoy completing jury service. We are using this research alongside the extensive academic research available and experience from other jurisdictions to inform our approach. We are aware that a small minority of jurors suffer adverse effects and are working to understand their specific needs to ensure that the support we offer is appropriate.

Re-employment: Tribunals

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of employment tribunal cases concerning fire and rehire practices in (a) 2021, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024.

Mike Freer: It is not possible to provide the information requested without checking each claim at a disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Interpreters

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total cost to the public purse was for the Ministry of Justice Language Service Contract in (a) 2018 and (b) 2023.

Mike Freer: The total cost to the public purse for the Ministry of Justice Language Service Contract was £26,774,286.01 in 2018, and £24,992,225.55 in 2023.

Special Guardianship Orders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children have been subject to a special guardianship order in each of the last 10 years.

Mike Freer: The Government does not collect figures in relation to how many children are subject to a special guardianship order at any one time.However, the following table extracted from the publicly available Family Court Statistics Quarterly figures provides details on the number of children involved in orders from 2013 until 2022. Data for public law cases in 2022 has not been published due to data issues resulting from the reform of public law services.The number of these orders has remained relatively stable over that period.  YearPublic LawPrivate LawTotal20134,9231,8636,78620144,8521,9446,79620155,5141,9497,46320165,6681,8127,48020175,7581,5817,33920185,9201,5017,42120195,8351,5447,37920205,2681,1966,46420216,1241,2937,4172022*1,184*

Re-employment: Appeals

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of employment tribunals in relation to fire and rehire practices that have found in favour of employees in (a) 2021, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024.

Mike Freer: Fire and rehire claims are usually recorded under an unfair dismissal coding. From 01 January 2021 to date, there are more than 17,000 unfair dismissal judgments on the Employment Tribunal decisions register. To provide the information requested it would be at a disproportionate cost.

Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid, published on 29 November 2021.

Mike Freer: On 30 November 2022, we published our full response to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) and consultation on policy proposals. This followed our interim response, which was published on 20 July 2022. Based on CLAIR’s emphasis on swift resolution of criminal matters, we increased fees for solicitors by 15% in the police station and magistrates’ court and uplifted the basic elements of the Litigators’ Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS) by 15%. An additional £21.1 million has been allocated towards reform of the police station fee scheme and the Youth Court fees, subject to a consultation which is ongoing. If allocated, this will result in an overall increase of 11% for solicitors once these reforms are in place. We also uplifted fees for defence advocates by 15%. In addition, we introduced new fees for advocates who undertake s.28 hearings (pre-recorded cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses) and allocated additional funding for special and wasted preparation (work done outside of the ordinary, in specified circumstances, or work done by an advocate but where they are unable to conduct the trial for good reason). We anticipate that these investments will increase criminal legal aid spending by up to £141 million a year in a steady state, and take total criminal legal aid spend to £1.2 billion per year. We also established the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board in October 2022, following Sir Christopher Bellamy’s CLAIR recommendation that an Advisory Board be created to take a wider view and encourage a more joined-up approach to criminal legal aid within the criminal justice system. It is chaired by former judge HH Deborah Taylor.

Legal Aid Scheme: Solicitors

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 156 of the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid published on 29 November 2021, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to his Department of increasing legal aid for criminal defence solicitors by 15% above 2021 spend.

Mike Freer: In responding to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR), we increased fees for solicitors by 15% in the police station and magistrates’ court, and uplifted the basic elements of the Litigators’ Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS) by 15%. We chose not to uplift the pages of prosecution evidence and trial length elements of the LGFS, because we were considering reforms aimed at removing any perverse incentives. An additional £21.1 million has been allocated towards reform of the police station fee scheme and the Youth Court fees, subject to a consultation which is ongoing. If allocated, this will result in an overall increase of 11% for solicitors once these reforms are in place. We expect these reforms will increase investment in the solicitor profession by £85 million every year. In considering our response, we made estimates of the costs of these changes, and alternative options. Based on the forecasted case volumes for 2024/25, as estimated at the time of CLAIR, we assessed it would cost an additional up to £27 million per year in steady state to deliver the recommended 15% increase to criminal solicitors.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the High Court judgement on the Law Society’s judicial review against the Ministry of Justice, [2024] EWHC 155 (Admin), handed down on 31 January 2024.

Mike Freer: I refer the right honourable Member to the answer I gave on 20 February to Question 14863

Ministry of Justice: Fraud and Maladministration

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Mike Freer: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landscape-annual-report2022) This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.Departments can disclose information on detected fraud and error in their Annual Reports and Accounts Ministry of Justice Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Ministry of Justice: WhatsApp

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Mike Freer: All departments in central government, including arms lengths bodies, apply the published guidance: ‘Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business’ published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Ministry of Justice uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.The Ministry of Justice also provides additional advice to supplement the central guidance, in a Social Media Policy and Guidance.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to introduce the Phase 2 Means Test Review civil legal aid changes.

Mike Freer: Since publication of the Legal Aid Means Test Review Consultation Response in May 2023, the Government has been developing detailed implementation plans for the new legal aid means assessment. The Government intends to provide an update on the timeline for implementation of these reforms shortly.

Wetherby Young Offender Institution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons publication entitled Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Wetherby by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (20 November – 7 December 2023), published on 5 March 2024, what steps he is taking to increase the amount custody support plans that are implemented.

Edward Argar: The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is dedicating the resources needed to achieve consistent delivery of custody support plans (CuSP) to children and young people in the secure estate, enabling staff to spend the time they need with children to improve relationships, with in-depth support sessions, working on progression, goals and behaviour.The YCS is delivering training to all Band 3 and 4 operational staff to ensure they are appropriately skilled to implement and review CuSP. A CuSP officer is being allocated to each child entering custody during the induction process, to provide consistent adult support through the child’s custody journey.The YCS is also improving oversight of CuSP through monthly management meetings, which will communicate information on emerging risks, and ensure accountability for delivery, through scrutiny of data.In accordance with the YCS’s improvement plan (the “CuSP ladder”), HMYOI Wetherby plans to increase delivery of CuSP across the year, and will ensure that CuSP sessions are held following significant events.

Wetherby Young Offender Institution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' publication entitled Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Wetherby (20 November - 7 December 2023), published on 5 March 2024, what steps he is taking to reduce rates of self-harm at HMYOI Wetherby.

Edward Argar: The Youth Custody Service (YCS) will review the support available to all those placed at HMYOI Wetherby, ensuring that the placement of any child in the secure estate is needs-led, and is in the child’s best interests. It will also develop gender-specific guidance on the care of girls in the establishment.All residents at HMYOI Wetherby will be allocated an appropriate Custody Support Plan Officer, and will receive support sessions following any significant events.Any child who is at risk of self-harm will be supported through the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, ensuring that he or she has a dedicated case manager; and those with the most complex needs will receive additional monitoring and more intensive case management. The weekly Safety Intervention Meeting will discuss any acts of self-harm, or violence, and appropriate actions to support the children concerned will be included in the safety action plan.

Wetherby Young Offender Institution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' publication entitled Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Wetherby (20 November - 7 December 2023), published on 5 March 2024, if he will implement additional safeguarding measures to reduce instances of (a) girls having clothing removed by male officers and (b) pain-inducing restraint methods by staff members.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' publication entitled Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Wetherby (20 November - 7 December 2023), published on 5 March 2024, what steps he is taking to reduce instances of (a) girls having clothing removed by male officers and (b) pain-inducing restraint methods by staff members.

Edward Argar: In emergency situations, the first priority of staff is always to safeguard the life and safety of those in their care. Staff will do all they can to preserve the dignity of a child, consistent with the urgent need to prevent harm.Following the incident highlighted by HM Inspectorate, a Learning Review has been conducted by the Youth Custody Service’s Safeguarding Team. It made 21 recommendations to ensure that lessons on appropriate practice are learned, both at HMP Wetherby and across the youth secure estate. The recommendations focus on four main themes:protecting the well-being of children and staff during and after incidentsfurther training and guidance for staff in incident management of girlsintegrated care management to ensure all departments work effectively with a childmanagement of resources to ensure there is an appropriate gender balance of staff on night duty.Force must only ever be used as a last resort, and at the lowest possible level. A policy on use of force in the youth estate (‘Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint’) was published last year. Staff are trained to use the minimum level of force, and the guidance makes clear that pain-inducing techniques should only be used as an exceptional emergency response.

Offenders: Electronic Tagging

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his Department's contract with Serco for electronic monitoring on the (a) physical and (b) mental wellbeing of people who will be monitored; and what estimate he has made of the number of people monitored under that contract.

Gareth Bacon: The priority when it comes to electronic monitoring is public protection, hence why they can be accompanied by tough curfews and exclusion zones. However, Serco’s health and safety policy ensures that the physical and mental wellbeing of those subject to electronic monitoring is also regarded. Serco will conduct wellbeing visits, direct those with an electronic monitoring requirement to organisations offering advice and support where necessary and pay due regard to an individual’s health considerations during the installation of equipment and subsequent monitoring of requirements. Serco’s approach was assessed in their tender response and their performance of this will be assessed and reviewed as part of overall contract management.We have made sufficient funds available to increase the number of defendants and offenders subject to electronic monitoring at any one time to 25,000 by March 2025. This includes doubling the number of GPS tags available to courts for community orders and suspended sentences to support robust community sentences and supervision.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Students

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using Universal Credit graduated income deduction rules for income that is received in the form of student loans.

Jo Churchill: No assessment has been made. There are no plans to change the way student loans are treated.

Unemployment: Eyesight

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of people economically inactive in England due to eyesightproblems.

Mims Davies: The latest published estimates for 2022/23 show that there were around 310,000 people aged 16 to 64 in the UK who were economically inactive and self-reported difficulties with their sight – this may not be the reason, or the only reason, for them being inactive. Of which, around 250,000 were living in England (source). Figures for England are from the same underlying data source (Annual Population Survey) but are unpublished.

Shared Housing: Government Assistance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of housing support provided through the shared accommodation rate.

Mims Davies: Evidence relating to Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) rates was considered as part of the LHA review last Autumn. This led to the significant investment of £1.2 billion increasing Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This means 1.6 million private renters will receive additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25. There are exemptions from the SAR for those who find it difficult to share accommodation, such as care leavers, victims of modern slavery and domestic abuse and people who have been homeless and living in a hostel for over 3 months. There is also an exemption in certain circumstances on the grounds of disability. Exempt claimants can claim the higher one-bedroom LHA rate. For individuals who may require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. DHP payments are entirely at the discretion of the local authority and since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities.

Shared Housing: Government Assistance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received housing support at the shared accommodation rate in each of the last five years.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not readily available for Universal Credit, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, data on households on Housing Benefits entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate is published and available here. Guidance for users is available here. Evidence relating to Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) rates was considered as part of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) review last Autumn. This led to the significant investment of £1.2 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This means 1.6 million private renters will receive additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25. There are exemptions from the SAR for those who find it difficult to share accommodation, such as care leavers, victims of modern slavery and domestic abuse and people who have been homeless and living in a hostel for over 3 months. There is also an exemption in certain circumstances on the grounds of disability. Exempt claimants can claim the higher one-bedroom LHA rate. For individuals who may require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. DHP payments are entirely at the discretion of the local authority and since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities.

Employment: Disability

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his policy to mandate (a) health and safety checks, (b) the provision of adapted (i) computer chairs, (ii) desks, (iii) screens and (iv) keyboards for disabled employees who are working from home whilst taking part in the Work Guarantee scheme.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 March to PQ16495.

Pension Credit

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government Minister urges pensioners to check eligibility for Pension Credit as Week of Action kicks off, published on 12 June 2023, how many additional claims for pension credit have been received as a result of the Invitation to Claim mailing trial.

Paul Maynard: The ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial ran from July 2023 in ten Local Authority areas across Great Britain: Eastbourne, Teignbridge, Pendle, Charnwood, Vale of White Horse, Redcar and Cleveland, Craven, Harrow, Powys and West Lothian. Approximately 2,500 pensioner households were sent letters encouraging them to contact DWP and make a claim. In line with the commitment given last year, we will be publishing a report covering the results from the trial shortly. Once the report has been published, we will have an indication of how many people applied for Pension Credit as a result of the trial.

Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Paul Maynard: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits. The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.Estimates of overpayments due to fraud and error in the benefit system, for the last three financial years can be found here: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2022 to 2023 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Work and Pensions: Domestic Visits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many domestic overnight visits were undertaken by Ministers within his Department in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost to the public purse was of these visits.

Paul Maynard: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Food Banks

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with the Trussell Trust on the trends in the level of donations required to meet demand for food banks.

Jo Churchill: DWP officials regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders including the Trussell Trust. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not have any role in their operation.  The next release of the Households Below Average Income statistics, covering the year 2022/23, is due in March 2024. This will include updated national statistics on both food security and food bank use.

Universal Credit: Children

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit claimants aged under 25 have at least one child.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Greater London

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in London in receipt of Universal Credit are aged under 25.

Jo Churchill: The Department regularly publishes Universal Credit statistics. Statistics of the number of people who are on Universal Credit each month, by age and region, are published monthly and are currently available to January 2024 on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Women and Equalities

Clinical Trials

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has taken recent steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to recruit more (a) people and (b) people from ethnic minority communities onto clinical trials.

Maria Caulfield: In the final report to the Prime Minister on Covid-19 health disparities, published in December 2021, the Minister for Women and Equalities recommended that the National Institute for Health Research and the NHS Race and Health Observatory work to increase ethnic minority representation in research projects and clinical trials. This became action 24 in Inclusive Britain, our response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic disparities, published in March 2022. In April, we published a report to Parliament on the progress we have made in delivering this and the other 73 actions in Inclusive Britain. We will publish a further update to Parliament in due course.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Publishing

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what reports and guidance her Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Damian Hinds: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil in state (a) primary and (b) secondary schools was in each local authority in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the funding per pupil was in each (a) secondary and (b) primary school in England in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Damian Hinds: Current school funding, for individual schools and at local authority level, cannot be directly compared to school funding in 2010 due to structural changes in the funding system. For local authorities, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, so comparisons cannot be made before that point. In 2018, the schools national funding formula (NFF) started to direct funding according to a consistent assessment of need, rather than historic local spending decisions. Funding changes since 2018 will therefore reflect this move to fairer funding.Local authority level data on school funding, including average funding per pupil, is published annually as part of the announcement of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations.The block of funding in the DSG relating to primary and secondary mainstream schools (the 'schools block') was first introduced in 2013/14. DSG data between 2013/14 and 2017/18 provides the schools block per-pupil unit of funding for each local authority. This covers both primary and secondary schools together. The department does not hold separate data for primary and secondary pupils for this period and does not have comparable data for years prior to 2013/14.The funding system changed again in 2018/19 when the NFF was introduced. With the introduction of the NFF, funding was provided by reference to primary and secondary schools separately.The scope of the per pupil figures pre and post-2018 are not directly comparable. In particular, the central services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/19, and instead funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.Links to the published DSG tables can be found here:2013/14https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2013-to-20142014/15https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-20152015/16https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016201617https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-20172017/18https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-20182018/19https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pre-16-schools-funding-guidance-for-2018-to-20192019/20https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-20202020/21https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2020-to-20212021/22https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2021-to-20222022/23https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2022-to-20232023/24https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2023-to-20242024/25https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2024-to-2025 The DSG allocations are at local authority level, not at the level of individual schools. However, notional school level funding data is published annually in the NFF school impact table, including notional funding per pupil. However, this does not represent the level of funding that individual schools will necessary ultimately receive, as schools’ actual allocations are based on local authorities’ local funding formulae.Links to the latest NFF school impact tables can be found here:2023/24https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2023-to-20242024/25https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2024-to-2025

Family Hubs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding Family Hubs to all local authorities in England.

David Johnston: Family Hubs are a one stop shop for families to make it easier for them to get the help they need. The government would like to see Family Hubs across the country. The department has selected 75 local authorities based on levels of disadvantage to target the areas with the highest levels of deprivation and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes. It is crucial that the department focuses on delivering fairly in these 75 local authorities already committed to and building the evidence base. The department has appointed Ecorys, Sheffield Hallam University and Ipsos to assess the family hubs aspect of the ‘Family Hubs and Start for Life’ programme. The newly commissioned evaluation will explore how the programme is being implemented across local authorities, where improvements can be made, and how it offers value-for-money. The department expects to publish the findings of the evaluation in late 2025.

Special Educational Needs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 202520 on Special Educational Needs, on what date he plans to publish additional guidance on school admission for summer-born children with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

David Johnston: The department will be publishing additional guidance on school admission for summer-born children with an Education, Health and Care plan in due course.

Childcare: Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with (a) Central Bedfordshire Council and (b) Bedford Borough Council on the adequacy of provision for the expanded childcare offer in (i) April and (ii) September 2024.

David Johnston: Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the ‘Early education and childcare’ statutory guidance highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. The full guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2/early-education-and-childcare-applies-from-1-april-2024. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England, including Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council, about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing regarding their readiness to deliver the expanded childcare offer in both April and September 2024. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and, where needed, supports the local authority with any specific requirements through the department’s childcare sufficiency support contract.

Schools: Food

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 206 of the policy paper entitled National food strategy for England, updated in July 2021, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the implications for its policies of the recommendation to remove the requirement for schools to serve meat three times a week from the School Food Standards.

Damian Hinds: The government’s school food standards regulates the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. Beyond this, the department believes that headteachers, school governors and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their pupils. The school food standards guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools. The government recognises the importance of plant-based foods from a cultural and environmental point of view. The standards for school food allow schools the freedom to provide plant-based meals as needed. Meat must be served on three or more days each week and, beyond this, schools may provide a meal with a vegan source of protein every day if they choose to. The department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high-quality and nutritious food that encourages healthy eating habits for life. The department is keeping the standards under review.

Childcare: Special Educational Needs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) fund and (b) ensure adequate provision of (i) facilities and (ii) childcare for children with SEND.

David Johnston: The government provides high needs funding for children aged 0-25 with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those in their early years who need childcare. The department is increasing high needs revenue funding, nationally, to over £10.5 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, which will be an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations of high needs funding. The City of York Council is due to receive an allocation of £28.5 million in 2024/25, which is a cumulative increase of 27% per head through the high needs national funding formula, over the three years from 2021/22.In addition, specifically for those in the early years, the government provides the Disability Access Fund. In the 2024/25 financial year, this will increase to £910 per eligible child per annum, and will be extended to children aged 2 and under. Children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old who are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or have an Education, Health and Care plan are also eligible for 15 hours free childcare a week.The department is also funding training for up to 7,000 early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), resulting in an accredited Level 3 early years SENCO qualification. Some 5,000 practitioners have already registered for the training.The The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, sets out how an effective single national SEND and AP system will be delivered. Many of the proposals in the Improvement Plan will have an impact on early years education, and young children with SEND. There will be new national practitioner standards for meeting the needs of children with SEND and identifying their individual needs. There will also be new local SEND and AP Partnerships, strengthened accountability and dashboards, and funding reforms to ensure all settings are able to deliver an inclusive practice for all.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places, including for pupils with SEND, sits with local authorities. The department allocates funding to support authorities to meet this duty and has provided over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.

Special Educational Needs

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the progress that has been made since the publication of the SEND and AP Improvement Plan; how many additional education psychologists have been employed by local authorities and; how many additional teachers have undertaken SENCO training since the publication of that plan.

David Johnston: Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) frequently require access to additional support from a broad specialist workforce across education, health and care. To support this, the department has completed the following:Since May 2022, the department has supported 135,000 professionals to access autism awareness training developed by the Autism Education Trust through the £12 million Universal services training programme.In January 2024, the department announced a new initial teacher training and early career framework that includes new and updated content on SEND to ensure teachers have the skills and confidence to support all children.The department is providing free training to up to 7,000 early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) to boost understanding of SEND in early years, and increase early identification and collaborative working with parents, carers, and other professionals. As of December 2023, 5,200 people had already registered for their training.The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from September 2024. This builds on the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.In August 2023, the department confirmed that a new National Professional Qualification for SENCOs will replace the existing National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (NASENCO) qualification from Autumn 2024. This will ensure SENCOs receive consistent high quality, evidence-based training. The department does not hold data regarding the number of professionals who have undertaken the NASENCO qualification since March 2023.

Nurseries

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to measure the availability of nursery places in (a) York and (b) England.

David Johnston: To measure the availability of nursery places nationally and locally, the department uses data on the supply of childcare places gathered from Ofsted management information, the annual school census for each local authority and the annual Childcare and Early Years provider survey. The department monitors data from the Eligibility Checking Service to track demand for places.The department shares this analysis, broken down to ward level, with local authorities. Local authorities use this analysis when completing their termly readiness self-assessments which are intended for local authorities to assess their progress in meeting their sufficiency duty, including the capacity of their local market to deliver sufficient places to meet parental demand for each stage of the rollout.Local authority readiness self-assessments, as well as regular engagement through our regional leads enable the department to understand where support for local authorities, including York, may be needed. Where a local authority is identified as requiring targeted support, or self-identifies, our delivery support contractor, Childcare Works are able to provide this support tailored specifically to a local authority’s needs.

Pre-school Education: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with early years providers on (a) additional charges for (i) meals and (ii) other consumables and (b) taking steps to assess the impact of those charges on parents.

David Johnston: The department’s statutory guidance is clear that all eligible parents should have access to a free of charge place at an early years provider. The full guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/658309fd23b70a000d234d34/Early_education_and_childcare_statutory_guidance_-_April_2023.pdf. This means that a provider cannot charge parents “top-up” fees, which includes any fees covering the difference between a provider’s normal charge to parents and the funding they receive from the local authority to deliver free places. Providers must not require parents to pay a registration fee as a condition of taking up their child’s free place.Regarding charges for consumables, government funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high-quality, flexible childcare for eligible 2 to 4 year olds. It is not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services, and providers are able to charge parents for these. However, such charges should not be made a condition of accessing a free place.Providers should also ensure that they have a policy in place to consider the impact of charges on disadvantaged parents and those who are unable to pay additional charges.As set out in the department’s guidance, to ensure that parents can make informed decisions on their choice of childcare, providers should publish a statement of how they deliver the free entitlements and any additional charges for optional activities outside of the entitlements. This should set out clearly the charges for meals, optional activities or additional hours.There have been no recent discussions regarding this subject between the department and early years providers, beyond the reiteration of the guidance to local authorities who manage local relationships with providers.

Pre-school Education: Wildlife

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to introduce wildlife education to the early years curriculum.

David Johnston: The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is prepared for school. The EYFS includes an area of learning on ‘Understanding the World’, which requires settings to foster children’s understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. Across the early years curriculum, practitioners can teach children about wildlife and the natural environment in a range of ways, for example through books, activities and play and by visiting parks and other local areas.At the end of the EYFS, children are assessed on their level of development, against the Early Learning Goals (ELGs). The ‘Understanding the World’ ELGs include exploring the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants, knowing some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments.

Pre-school Education: Channel Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help support the recruitment of early years workers in the Channel Islands.

David Johnston: The department regularly engages with Crown Dependency officials and cross-government stakeholders with an interest in early years.The Crown Dependencies are self-governing in respect of their own domestic affairs and this matter falls within the jurisdiction of the Channel Island governments.

Special Educational Needs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure an adequate provision of SEND services for children in the future.

David Johnston: Through delivery of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) Improvement Plan, the department will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND and in AP so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes and are well prepared for adulthood and employment.The department will give families greater confidence that their child will be able to fulfil their potential through improved mainstream provision in their local setting.For those children and young people with SEND who do require an Education, Health and Care plan and specialist provision, the department will ensure they get access to the support they need, and that parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this.To ensure adequate provision of SEND services for children in the future, the department has already completed the following:In this academic year, the department has opened 15 new special free school and one AP free school, creating over 1,500 new places for children and young people when the schools are at capacity. The department has also approved a further 37 special and five AP free schools to open and approved in principle a further 40 special free schools. Together, these would create over 9,000 new places. In September 2023, the department launched a £70 million Change Programme made up of 32 local authorities to test and refine the department’s reforms. The programme is working with local authorities, integrated care boards, school representatives, parent group representatives and professionals to benefit every region in England. In January 2024, the department announced a new initial teacher training and early career framework, which includes new and updated content on SEND to ensure teachers have the skills and confidence to support all children. The department will be investing over £21 million to train a further 400 educational psychologists from 2024. The department is introducing a new National Professional Qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) to ensure they consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training, with teaching beginning in Autumn 2024. The department is also funding training for up to 7,000 early years SENCOs to support early and accurate identification of need.

Special Educational Needs: Classroom Assistants

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for SEND teaching assistants in schools.

David Johnston: Many teaching assistants who support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are partly or wholly funded from local authorities’ high needs budgets, as a result of assessments and consequent decisions about the additional support that those individual pupils need. The department is increasing high needs funding nationally by £440 million (4.3%) in the 2024/25 financial year. This will bring the total of high needs funding to over £10.5 billion next year, an increase of over 60% from the 2019/20 allocations. Bradford Council is due to receive a high needs funding allocation of £42.2 million through their 2024/25 dedicated schools grant, which is a cumulative increase of 37% per head over the three years from 2021/22.

Childcare

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a table on the net increase per quarter of the number of Ofsted-registered childcare places for children aged (a) two or under and (b) over two per local authority since 15 March 2023.

David Johnston: This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Degrees

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of degrees were awarded at first class in each year since 1994.

Robert Halfon: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), now part of Jisc, collects and publishes data on student qualifications across all UK higher education providers, including data on degree classifications. Counts of first degree qualifications by class of degree for academic years 2006/07 to 2021/22 are published in Chart 9 of HESA’s Student Data, which is available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/chart-9. The data includes students studying for first degree qualifications and excludes students who qualified with an unclassified first degree (mainly including degrees that do not have a classification, such as Medicine). Counts for academic years 1994/95 to 2005/06 can be found in HESA’s publication archive, and can be accessed for the relevant years via the links below:1994/95 to 1998/99: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/01-02-2000/sfr37-qualifications-and-examination-results.1999/00 to 2003/04: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/11-01-2005/sfr82--qualifications-and-examination-results.2001/02 to 2005/06: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/09-01-2007/sfr107-enrolments-and-qualifications.

Overseas Students: Sudan

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is offered to Sudanese students in the UK who (a) may be unable to return to Sudan due to safety concerns and (b) are facing financial difficulties as a result of the conflict in that country.

Robert Halfon: Students experiencing financial difficulties should contact their university to discuss their circumstances. Higher education (HE) providers have their own hardship funds to support students who have financial issues and, like domestic students, international students can apply to their provider to access these funds. HE providers also offer a range of dedicated support to their international students pre-arrival, on-arrival and during their studies.In addition, the UK Council for International Student Affairs offers a range of information and guidance for international students who may be experiencing unexpected financial hardship which can be found here: https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Fees-and-Money/Unexpected-financial-hardship.

Religion: Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued recent guidance to schools on the proportion of their funding that should be allocated to the teaching of (a) religious education and (b) other subjects.

Damian Hinds: This year, core school funding will total over £57.7 billion, which is an increase of £3.9 billion compared to the 2022/23 financial year. All schools have the freedom to choose how to spend their core funding according to their own unique circumstances and priorities, providing that all expenditure ultimately benefits their students. The department does not provide specific funding for religious education; it is for schools to decide the allocation of resources across different subject areas.

GCSE: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were entered for GCSE qualifications in (a) English Literature, (b) French, (c) Spanish, (d) German, (e) Italian, (f) History, (g) Geography, (h) Art & Design, (i) Music, (j) Drama, (k) Religious Education, (l) Combined Science, (m) Chemistry, (n) Physics, (o) Biology, (p) Computer Science in each year from 2008 to 2023.

Damian Hinds: The number of GCSE entries by pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the requested subjects can be found in the attached spreadsheet. 16583_table (xlsx, 39.2KB)

Religion: Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase consistency in the standards of teaching of religious education in schools.

Damian Hinds: Religious education (RE) is an important part of a school’s curriculum and can contribute to a young person’s personal, social, and academic development. When taught well, the subject develops children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, helps them to better understand those of other countries, and refines pupils’ ability to construct well-informed, balanced and structured arguments.The department is offering a £10,000 bursary for RE trainee teachers that are starting initial teacher training courses in the 2024/25 academic year, with the aim to incentivise greater numbers of post-graduates to apply and increase the pipeline of RE specialists.To support teachers when they are in post, and to ensure high standards and consistency of RE teaching, RE resources are currently being procured by Oak National Academy during the second tranche of its work. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector experience when producing new materials for RE. This will ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting both teachers and pupils, should schools opt to use them. Oak RE resources will be available for teaching from autumn 2024, with full packages expected to be available by autumn 2025.The department also continues to offer eight week subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses in the 2022/23 academic year for candidates who have the potential to become outstanding teachers but need to increase their subject knowledge. The eight week SKE course, available in RE, can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis but must be completed before qualified teacher status can be recommended and awarded. Eligible candidates could be entitled to a SKE bursary of £175 per week to support them financially whilst completing their SKE course.More information on these courses is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme: Darlington

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was provided through the holiday activities and food programme to projects in Darlington in each year since it was introduced.

Damian Hinds: The department has invested more than £200 million a year in our holiday, activities and food (HAF) programme since 2021. Since 2022, the HAF programme has provided 10.7 million HAF days to children and young people in this country. The expansion of the programme year-on-year has meant a total of 5.4 million HAF days provided between Christmas 2022, Easter and summer 2023.For the 2021 programme, Darlington were allocated £519,040 in total, which included £49,090 paid to them in the 2020/21 financial year to help with start-up costs, and a further £469,050 was allocated to them during the 2021/22 financial year.For the 2022 programme, the department allocated £466,240, for 2023 the department allocated £468,150 and this year, the department has allocated a further £469,170, bringing the total to more than £1.9 million in Darlington since the programme began, ensuring thousands of children across Darlington local authority have benefitted from healthy meals and taking part in a range of enriching activities during the longer school holidays.

Assessments: Appeals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on educational attainment of denial of mitigated circumstances for children whose parent or guardian passed away outside of the current six month cut off prior to examinations.

Damian Hinds: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Interim Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

GCE A-level and GCSE

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average point score was at (a) GCSE and (b) A level in each local authority in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: The department produces two average point score measures at GCSE, Average Attainment 8 and Average Ebacc APS. Average Attainment 8 was first introduced to all schools in the 2015/16 academic year, and Average Ebacc APS was first introduced in the 2017/18 academic year. More information can be found in the Secondary accountability measures guide here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-8-school-performance-measure. The data can be found at the following links: 2018/19 to 2022/23 data: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d2ec0919-11d8-4765-f318-08dc3835f618. 2015/16 to 2017/18 data: Table LA1 (EBacc APS) and Table LA2 (Attainment 8 score): https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5c507d9640f0b6254b1b1017%2F2018_LA_tables.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK. Figures are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4 who attended state-funded schools in England. The A level average point score (APS) for each local authority in England, including number of students and average grade from 2014/15 to 2022/23, are available from the links below. Prior to that, APS data for local authorities covered all level 3 qualifications (A levels, but also other level 3 academic and vocational qualifications) where links are provided for the 2009/10 to 2013/14 academic years. All figures are based on students at the end of 16-18 study who attended state-funded schools and colleges in England. Note that APS data for the 2015/16 to 2022/23 academic years for A levels is on a scale of 0-60, where a grade A* is given 60 points and a grade E is 10 points. APS data for the 2009/10 to 2014/15 academic years uses an older QCDA points scale where A level grades are on the scale 0-300, where a grade A* is 300 points and a grade E is 150 points. Vocational qualification grades are scaled 0-270. 2014/15 - 2022/23 data: A level APS per entry and grade:2018/19 to 2022/23: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/254d6ceb-5724-4c96-524f-08dc3ae70a0c.2017/18: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c4b99a5f-e0ec-49fa-f332-08dc3835f618.2016/17: Table 9a all, see columns H, I and J https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a82ad65e5274a2e87dc26a9/SFR03_2018_LA_Tables.xlsx.2015/16: Table 9a , see columns F,G, and H https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a8010db40f0b62305b88f6a/SFR05_2017_LA_tables_9_to_10.xlsm.2014/15: Table 12c, see columns E, I and M https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f859be5274a2e87db65ab/SFR03_2016_LA_tables_12_to_13.xlsx.2009/10 to 2013/14: Level 3 APS per entry:2013/14: Table 12a, see columns E and M https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7dae1ced915d2acb6ed80d/SFR03_2015_LA_tables_12_to_13.xlsx.2012/13: Table 12a, see columns E and M https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c861140f0b626628aca9f/SFR02_2014_LATables_12_to_13.xlsx.2011/12: Table 9a, see columns D and L https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c33d2ed915d7d70d1d421/sfr05-2013t9ab.xls.2010/11: Table 10, see columns D and L https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c6f7aed915d696ccfcc26/sfr01-2012t10.xls.2009/10: Table 9, see columns D and L https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c444540f0b62dffde0f1b/sfr02-2011t9.xls.

Schools: Rugby

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to support the playing of rugby in schools in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Damian Hinds: Physical education (PE) is a compulsory subject within the national curriculum from key stage 1 to key stage 4. It is for schools to decide which sports to choose for pupils both in PE and during extracurricular opportunities. The national curriculum does not specify what schools should provide, but rugby is included as an example of a sport that can provide important elements of the PE and Sport national curriculum programme of study in key stage 3 and 4.Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) offers a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering rugby to primary and secondary age pupils. The RFU has been conducting a review into the future of rugby in schools, and the department looks forward to seeing the outcomes of this work and engaging with them accordingly.On 8 March 2023, the department announced over £600 million in funding for the primary PE and sport premium in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, and up to £57 million up to March 2025 for the ‘Opening School Facilities’ programme. Schools can use this funding to increase their sport provision such as rugby to a higher standard.

Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 165185 on Free School Meals, whether any complex data, systems, financial and legal implications are still a barrier to the rollout of auto-enrolment.

Damian Hinds: Maximising the take up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.To support this, an Eligibility Checking System has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.The department has looked at auto-enrolment and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints, which still remains an important consideration.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether residents under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme will be considered Home Students for the purposes of university and college fees and student finance.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2024 to Question 15845, if she will issue guidance to (a) students granted leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and (b) education providers on the (i) intended residency and (ii) status of students on the new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme set to open in early 2025; and what the status of those people will be after the closure of that scheme.

Robert Halfon: I am pleased to confirm that the department will be making changes to the student finance regulations following the recent announcement on the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. These will ensure that, from the 2024/25 academic year, students who are granted leave under this scheme will be able to access Higher Education (HE) student support, home fee status, Advanced Learner Loans and Further Education 19+ funding on the same basis as persons with leave under one of the existing Ukraine schemes.Persons granted leave under this Scheme will continue to be eligible for student support and home fee status for as long as they continue to be granted further leave to remain in the UK.

Overseas Students: Palestinians

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the British Council on the families of students invited to study at universities from the state of Palestine via scholarship programmes.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help provide support to Palestinian university students with (a) injured and (b) deceased family in Gaza.

Robert Halfon: The best way to provide protection for vulnerable people in Gaza is an end to the fighting as soon as possible and the return of the hostages held by Hamas. That is why the government is calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and the hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.The UK is currently supporting non-governmental organisation and UN partners to deliver medical aid and care in the Gaza Strip. This includes support for primary healthcare, trauma and emergency care services, disease surveillance and outbreak response, and deployment of Emergency Medical Teams. The government is also exploring further options to help meet the medical needs of Palestinians.Universities offer a range of dedicated support to their international students before they arrive in the UK, on arrival, and during their studies. This includes both pastoral care and financial support. If a student is experiencing difficulties, they should contact the university to discuss their circumstances. Universities have their own hardship funds to support students who are going through financial difficulties, and like domestic students, international students can apply to their provider to access these funds.The department is also an active funder of the Higher Education Scholarships for Palestinians (HESPAL) programme. This programme, facilitated by the British Council, provides young academic staff with potential in universities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the opportunity to complete a Masters or PhD programme in the UK. There are currently fifteen HESPAL scholars in the UK, five of which are from Gaza. The British Council has met with UK university partners to discuss the best means of support for these scholars. These conversations have covered safeguarding issues, one-to-one support to scholars and both virtual and physical platforms to enable scholars to come together and support one another. Departmental officials continue to engage with the British Council to identify further support for current and former HESPAL students.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children who are absent from school who have (a) mental health challenges, (b) care experience, (c) experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences, (d) learning differences and (e) SEND.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children who have been off-rolled from school who have (a) mental health challenges, (b) care experience, (c) experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences, (d) learning differences and (e) SEND.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children who are suspended from school who have (a) mental health challenges, (b) care experience, (c) experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences, (d) learning differences and (e) SEND.

Damian Hinds: The department does not hold information on absence by the specific categories of mental health challenges, care experience or learning differences, but does hold absence data by special educational need (SEN) primary need and SEN provision. This is published in the ’Pupil Absence in Schools in England’ statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england. The following links give absence rates by SEN primary need and SEN provision in England in 2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4f2e3e6f-bd4d-475a-f345-08dc3835f618, and: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e227eadc-6f55-4c88-525a-08dc3ae70a0c.Information on the number of children looked after who have been absent from school is published annually in the ’Outcomes for Children in Need, Including Children Looked After in England’ statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england. The following link gives information on absence rates for children looked after on 31 March 2022: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/62dd649a-c5bd-4bc7-f354-08dc3835f618.The department does not hold data on ‘off-rolling’. The government is clear that off-rolling (the practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without using a permanent exclusion, when the removal is primarily in the best interests of the school, rather than the best interests of the pupil) is unacceptable in any form and continues to work with Ofsted to tackle it.The department does not hold information on suspensions by the specific categories of mental health challenges, care experienced or learning differences, but does hold suspensions data by SEN primary need and SEN provision. This is published in the ’Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England’ statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england. The following links give suspension rates by SEN primary need and SEN provision in England in 2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d4cda29e-4001-4c50-525d-08dc3ae70a0c, and: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8a5b1881-c48c-46fd-525e-08dc3ae70a0c.Information on the number of children looked after with a suspension is published annually in the ‘Outcomes for Children in Need, Including Children Looked After in England’ statistical release: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england. The following link gives information on suspension rates for children looked after on 31 March 2021: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/43a05b59-1957-41b0-5268-08dc3ae70a0c.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Diaries

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his diary for 15 November 2023.

John Glen: I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 16454 on 6th March 2024.

Deputy Prime Minister: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January to Question 7525, for what reason the finalised costs for the Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to the United States from 19 to 23 September have not yet been confirmed; and when he plans to publish the data.

Alex Burghart: Costs for the Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to the United States to lead the UK delegation to the UN General Assembly from 19 to 23 September are in the final stages of validation and will be published shortly.

Former Ministers: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January to Question 8377 on Peter Bone, whether the severance payments incorrectly paid to (a) Mr Peter Bone, (b) Ms Nadine Dorries, (c) the Rt hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford, (d) the hon. Member for Erewash and (e) the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the Lords, have been recovered.

John Glen: We have previously set out that in any case where a former minister has been paid severance incorrectly, the relevant department will seek to recover the payment. It would not be appropriate to comment further on individual cases.

Cabinet Office: Fraud and Maladministration

Pat McFadden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Alex Burghart: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. As part of wider cross-government counter fraud investment, the government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year, the PSFA delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits. The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landscape-annual-report-2022). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system and includes the Cabinet Office. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023. To note it outlines all figures rounded to the nearest £0.1m. In 2022-23, as published in the department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, the Cabinet Office detected error of £3.48m, of which £3.43m was recovered in year and detected fraud of £60k of which none has been recovered to date. Efforts to recover the detected fraud are continuing at this time. The Cabinet Office does not hold specific data on fraud for previous years. The Cabinet Office does not recognise a loss arising from error or fraud until efforts to recover the funds have been explored. This means that write-offs of error and fraud usually occur in the years after the original problem arose. Losses recognised and written off by the Cabinet Office for the last three years are: 2022/23 - £4,8002021/22 - £327,4002020/21 - £703,300

Treasury

Treasury: Publishing

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three financial years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Gareth Davies: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. Reports and guidance that the Treasury has published can be found on gov.uk

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the waiting time for HMRC complaints.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC is committed to delivering performance improvements to complaints handling and response times for its customers. The number of new complaints awaiting response is at its lowest level since May 2021. Average response times remain higher than HMRC would like, but long-term measures are being put in place to address this.

Defibrillators: VAT

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making defibrillator sales VAT exempt.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government maintains VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of AEDs, including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT. The Government is currently inviting community organisations to bid for funding as part of a £1 million grant scheme that expands public access to AEDs, particularly in public places where they are most needed. In addition, last year the Government committed to supplying state-funded schools in England with defibrillators to make sure there is a device in every school, with deliveries completed in June 2023. This means that every state-funded school in England, over 21,500 schools, now has access to an AED. The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Domicil

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential revenue from the abolition of non-domiciled status in 2024.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of (a) amending and (b) abolishing the tax status of non-domiciled taxpayers on UK citizens living abroad.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with UK citizens living abroad on potential changes to non-domiciled tax status.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing transitional measures for UK citizens with non-domiciled status living abroad in the event of changes to that status.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the economic contribution of UK citizens with non-domiciled status living abroad.

Nigel Huddleston: Further information on the changes to the taxation of non-UK domiciled individuals, or non-doms, announced at Spring Budget 2024 can be found on GOV.UK here: Spring Budget 2024: Non-UK domiciled individuals policy summary - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Technical note: Changes to the taxation of non-UK domiciled individuals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Taxation: Electronic Government

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the preparedness of (a) self-employed people and (b) landlords with an income over £50,000 to begin using Making Tax Digital for income tax self-assessment from April 2026.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC published research in 2022 indicating that two thirds of those with income above £10,000 felt capable of changing to Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for ITSA). Those with income over £50,000 are already more likely to be using digital tools than smaller businesses; many will already be using MTD for VAT.  HMRC has an established programme of social research, focused on understanding the characteristics and support needs of its customers. This will inform an ongoing communications campaign, raising awareness of MTD for ITSA and supporting HMRC’s customers to prepare.

Money Laundering: Prosecutions

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions for money laundering offences HM Revenue and Customs have brought against individuals in each year since 2013; and how many of those prosecutions resulted in a conviction in each of those years.

Bim Afolami: HMRC takes a flexible and dynamic resourcing approach to criminally investigating suspected tax crimes and associated money laundering. While HMRC is not a prosecuting authority, we prepare the cases to the highest evidential standard and pass the case to the relevant independent prosecuting authority to decide if the case satisfies the two-stage test for prosecution. The following is aggregate data for HMRC’s investigations, since 2013 that resulted in a prosecution and conviction for either money laundering offences as set out in Part 7 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, or prosecutable breaches of supervisory requirement in various versions of the Money Laundering Regulations. YearNo. of positive charging decisions[2]No. of convictions[3]2012-1323102013-1433332014-1530172015-1665322016-1729352017-1880182018-1969322019-2025312020-2122192021-2219242022-233432 To note, criminal investigations can take considerable time to progress and can conclude in a year other than the one in which they are opened. As such there is no direct correlation between yearly figures presented in the table. [2]cases where the prosecuting authority has agreed to a money laundering or money laundering regulations charge against defendants.[3] successfully concluded criminal investigations.

Pensions: British National (Overseas)

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on access to pensions held by the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong for people with British National (Overseas) status.

Bim Afolami: We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British Nationals (Overseas) Visa (BN(O)) route are having difficulties in accessing their pensions held in the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF).We continue to urge the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. The Minister for Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, raised this issue with the Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 18 April 2023 and pressed for a pragmatic solution. The Investment Minister, Lord Johnson, raised the matter with Hong Kong's Commercial Secretary, during his visit to Hong Kong in May 2023.

Food: Prices

Olivia Blake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the potential impact of climate change on food price inflation.

Gareth Davies: The UK government has set ambitious carbon budgets and net zero targets to play our part in reducing emissions and the subsequent impact that climate change will have across the economy.

Treasury: WhatsApp

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Gareth Davies: The Department follows the Cabinet Office policy on non-corporate communication channels for Government business https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: WhatsApp

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Mr Steve Baker: All Departments in central government, including arms-length bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Northern Ireland Office uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.The Northern Ireland Office provides additional advice to supplement the central guidance which is published on the departmental intranet.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Publishing

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what reports and guidance her Department and its predecessor Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Julia Lopez: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on gov.uk.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Fraud and Maladministration

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department and predecessor Department in each of the last three financial years.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landsca pe-annual-report-2022.) This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.DCMS does not annually estimate the level of fraud and error across all its expenditure, instead focusing assurance and measurement activity on higher risk and higher value areas.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Fraud and Maladministration

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her (a) her Department and (b) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in each of the last three financial years.

Graham Stuart: The Government proactively investigates and prevents fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits. Due to the Machinery of Government changes, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has not yet produced fraud and error estimates but this will be published in the 23/24 annual report and accounts. The latest Government figures for the former department BEIS can be found in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts (2022/2023).

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many pensions under the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme have been paid to dependents since 1994.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not hold this information. However, as of 31 March 2023, there were 11,589 pensions in payment to dependants.

National Grid

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing financial penalties on network companies that fail to deliver grid connections on schedule.

Graham Stuart: The regulatory framework for electricity network connections is a matter for the independent regulator, Ofgem. As set out in the Connections Action Plan[1], Ofgem is undertaking a full review of existing incentives and obligations on parties, including network companies, relating to connections to ensure they are fit for purpose. This will include consideration of the use of financial incentives and penalties, as well as other regulatory levers. Ofgem will report its findings by the end of June.

National Grid

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many projects that have been granted grid access which have (a) stalled and (b) ceased entirely have been removed from the national grid connection queue in the last year.

Graham Stuart: Data from the Electricity System Operator (ESO) shows that 31 projects have been removed from the transmission connections queue since 1 March 2023. Of these 31 projects, 13 terminated their agreements voluntarily as part of the ESO’s Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) Amnesty. As set out at Budget, the ESO has begun the process of inserting delivery milestones into over 1000 connection agreements, enabling it to terminate stalled projects from Autumn 2024. The Government will also work with the ESO and network companies to outline further reforms by summer 2024 to raise barriers to entering and remaining in the queue.

Nuclear Power: Regulation

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many staff have job titles that include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race in the (i) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, (ii) Civil Nuclear Police Authority and (iii) UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Andrew Bowie: The table below refers to the organisations as per your question: OrganisationNumber of rolesNuclear Decommissioning Authority4Civil Nuclear Police Authority6UK Atomic Energy Authority1

Phillips 66: North Lincolnshire

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what percentage of UK North Sea oil is refined at Phillips 66 refinery on Humberside.

Andrew Bowie: Data on refinery operations are a commercial matter for refinery operators and are not published or otherwise made publicly available by the Department. Data on national refinery intake are available in Table 3.10 of Energy Trends: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oil-and-oil-products-section-3-energy-trends

Phillips 66: North Lincolnshire

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what financial support her Department has provided to Philipps 66 Humberside refinery in each year since 2015.

Andrew Bowie: P66, as owners of Humber Refinery, have not received any financial support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to maintain operations; outside of business support measures that were available as part of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All UK refineries are eligible for a range of Government schemes aimed at supporting the development of low carbon solutions in the sector. Following a successful bid, P66 was selected for funding for the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge which supports development of low-carbon technologies and infrastructure. The total grant to P66 in Stage 2 of this scheme on completion will be £4,454,873.50.

Renewable Energy: Investment

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of her net zero policies on trends in the level of investment in renewable energy.

Andrew Bowie: Government continues to support investment in renewables, as demonstrated in the Spring Budget announcement, where it confirmed the biggest ever budget for the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6, at £1,025 million. Additionally, Government announced an increase of up to £120 million to the £960 million Green Industry Growth Accelerator fund, further supporting the development of Wind and Networks manufacturing supply chains across the UK. These announcements reinforce efforts to reduce network connection times and make investment tax measures permanent. Since 2010, renewables support has attracted around £120 billion of new investment, alongside around £80 billion of UK levy-funded support.

Refineries: Grangemouth

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2024 to Question 7768 on Oil: Refineries, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery on imports.

Andrew Bowie: The owners of Grangemouth refinery, Petroineos, recently announced that they were putting in place the enabling works for a future transition to an import terminal. Petroineos have not taken a decision on when refining operations will cease but they anticipate they will continue until at least May 2025. The impact of a cessation of refining operations on UK imports will depend on the supply and demand for fuels at the time. The Government’s Net Zero policies to increase use of electric vehicles and renewable transport fuels, will progressively reduce demand for conventional fuels. The UK already both imports and exports fuels to balance demand and supply. The Petroineos plans should continue to ensure that customer needs are met.

Wind Power

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the switching off of renewable wind power because of grid capacity on household bills.

Graham Stuart: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to him on 7 March to Question UIN 16816.

Biofuels: Electricity Generation

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason she chose 29 February 2024 as the closing date of her Department's consultation on a transitional support mechanism for large-scale biomass generators.

Andrew Bowie: Government considered the closing date of 29 February to provide an appropriate and reasonable length of time for interested parties to respond to the consultation.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Publishing

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what reports and guidance her Department and its predecessor Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Graham Stuart: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department. Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on GOV.UK.

Biofuels: Carbon Capture and Storage

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of infrastructure in the UK to (a) capture carbon from woody biomass burning at scale and (b) transport and store carbon dioxide.

Andrew Bowie: As part of the cluster sequencing process, the Department has previously undertaken assessments of the potential CCUS capabilities of industrial clusters across the UK. The guidance and eligibility criteria for these assessments is available on gov.uk. The UK holds an estimated 78 billion tonnes of theoretical CO2 storage capacity in the UK continental shelf. Whilst Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is not currently operating at scale in the UK, a 2021 evaluation of greenhouse gas removal technologies found BECCS to be at a technology readiness level of six out of a possible nine.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates her Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.

Robert Courts: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 16019 on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.

Gender Based Violence: Prosecutions

Dan Carden: To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for cases relating to violence against women and girls.

Robert Courts: Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of this government’s top priorities. We continue to expand the number of VAWG offences to reflect the evolving criminal justice landscape.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is improving the way existing offences are prosecuted. It has produced a new operating model for the prosecution of rape and is now working in partnership with the police on a joint action plan to improve their collective handling of domestic abuse cases, applying the same principles from the work on rape which has driven marked improvement.To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and the holistic needs of victims, the CPS is also producing a new VAWG strategy which will be published by Autumn 2024.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: WhatsApp

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Mr Alister Jack: All Departments in central government, including arms-length bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Scotland Office uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.

Wales Office

Tŷ William Morgan: Staff

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the average level of staff attendance has been at the UK Government hub in Cardiff, Tŷ William Morgan in each month since December 2022.

David T C Davies: The Wales Office does not hold data on average levels of staff attendance for UK Government departments and agencies, and other public bodies, based in the UK Government hub in Ty William Morgan, Cardiff.

Wales Office: WhatsApp

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what guidance his Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

David T C Davies: All Departments in central government, including arms-length bodies apply the published guidance: Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business published by Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in central government (ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers). The Wales Office uses the central guidance and has applied it since March 2023.